Completely undocumented passenger on AF559
 

[On a lighter note...]

Answering a request for a doctor on AF559 (NDJ->CDG) former French health / culture / foreign minister / professor of cardiology Phillippe Douste-Blazy - delivered a somewhat premature but apparently healthy baby girl, possibly over Algeria.

AF apparently tweeted that being born on one of their aircraft does not guarantee free flights.

BBC: French ex-minister delivers baby girl on plane - BBC News

Le Figaro: Douste-Blazy, médecin accoucheur improvisé

In such circumstances I guess it can help a little to have a former minster around to get past any officious immigration officials.

On an international flight, does being born on a French aircraft count the same as being born in France ?

The mum might do well to ask him to be godfather.

Absolutely not if she wants her child to have a godfather. I have a good knowledge of what it means for a politician to be o godfather and he/she is only good for the first couple of years.

All the best to the new-born.

During an international flight the country overflown while giving birth is legally determining the child's nationality, even though this often isn't exactly sensible and hence often treated differently.
The PIC is to record time and coordinates of the birth time and place during flight.

Much more complicated than that. Depending on the laws of the parents nationalities, that of the aircraft registry and/or port of entry the child could have multiple nationality. The only definitive fact being the child will not be left stateless. One of those things best sorted out on an individual basis.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birt...raft_and_ships

... and how is the PIC supposed to know the precise time? Rely upon the presence of another member of crew - accuracy of timing gear used (eg wristwatch - don't say the time on someone's cellphone!) What counts as birth, full emergence or cutting of the umbilical and first unassisted breath?

Whatever, congratulations all round and I wish a long, healthy life to the little one

The ultimate Carryon I guess.

Tis a few years ago but friend was among crew on Aer Lingus Transatlantic flight when a baby born. Question asked by media about Nationality brought a very quick response from an senior Irish Civil servant. Friend kept news story in a scrap book.
Civil servant just said as baby has Irish Grandparents then it is entitled to Irish citizenship and then added even if it didn't I doubt it would be an issue for anybody and congratulations to the parents and welcome to Ireland.

What? no passport? :=

While I share your contempt for much - though not all - of our political class, in this case, I'd give him the benefit of the doubt: he has done some proper jobs. And apparently remembers some of his training.

I'm surprised she was given medical permission to fly.

So if this became a regular occurrence, we could expect more Irish citizens ? :)

Rat5,
Airlines mostly don't accept women with more than eight months of pregnancy but babies come when they want . Welcome to the little girl in our machist world. Law must help the life ;).

aye and welcome to the world indeed little one! Even though she entered it at 35,000 odd feet! Huge praise should go to the crew as well for assisting in the birth. They should not go un-recognised in my opinion for a fantastic job under stressful circumstances! Only question is (and granted I haven't read the article from Wiki yet) how does a newborn get through passport control at the destination? As far as its legal status is concerned the poor little thing technically doesn't exist! Still Welcome little one to our home known as Earth!

Kind Regards and best wishes

Speedbird

Born at FL400. I hope she obtains a pilot's license someday. :ok:

At the battle known as The Glorious First of June (1794), a Mrs Mackenzie, who was heavily pregnant, was on board HMS Tremendous. The circumstances of her being on board a warship about to go into battle are unclear, but in any case at the height of the battle she gave birth to a boy. The child was baptised Daniel Tremendous. In 1848, when a decision was taken to retrospectively award medals for naval actions going right back to 1793, Daniel Tremendous Mackenzie applied for, and was awarded the Naval General Service Medal for an action which took place on the day of his birth.

Massive thread drift I know, and absolutely no aviation content, but I hope this doesnt get deleted as it's a great story.

Fantastic thread title.

I opened it with fear and broke into a broad grin when I read the OP.

A Kuwaiti lady gave birth on Gulf Air's BAC 1-11, on a flight from DXB to AUH, 1972, maybe, a time when we measured our delays in days, not hours or minutes. She was trying for Abu Dhabi nationality for her child, but left it a bit late to travel. The flight usually took about 20 minutes chock-to-chock in a westerly wind; taxi times were quite long. Never-the-less, the process was complete by the time the aircraft had parked. She was an experienced mother.

We decided to get some good publicity; you know, fantastic cabin staff, cool, calm and proficient, mum and babe doing well, the usual guff. The Press release was duly faxed to the local papers. (Did we have fax then? Maybe telexed. Dunno. Sent, anyway.)

Next morning, the GULF NEWS banner headline was....................

GULF AIR - AN EARLY ARRIVAL AT LAST!

Didn't yer average British warship of the period normally have a dozen or three women on board? - I doubt they'd have stopped somewhere to drop them off just because it was time for a battle.

Quite the contrary, the circumstance of women on board ship at that time are perfectly well known and globally understood, the principle has remained the same since the dawn of time.

The kid was a true Son of a Gun; as no one could tell who the father was his paternity was assigned to the object over which it was atttained.

A true born Englishman! I salute him!

Only if they can play football

I once remember hearing an RFDS aircraft on Centre request an update of POB from 4 to 5.

"Congratulations to the new mum!" was the immediate reply.