Co-pilot faints on flight to Lisbon, rare “red alert” issued

A co-pilot was hospitalized after collapsing on a flight from London to Portugal on July 27. He fell ill during the approach to Lisbon airport on easyJet flight EZY2459 from Luton. Upon landing, he was attended to by paramedics at the airport. The first agent was then taken to the Hospital de Santa Maria, in Lisbon, for medical treatment, according to a report from Independent.

The Airbus A320 aircraft has issued a rare “red alert”, which is a mandatory stop of operations as a safety measure as the medical situation evolves. The flight with 193 passengers landed safely and “in accordance with procedures” in Portugal.

An easyJet spokesperson said in a statement: “easyJet can confirm that flight EZY2459 from Luton to Lisbon was met by paramedics on landing due to a member of the pilot feeling unwell.

“The captain routinely landed the flight in accordance with procedures and the passengers disembarked normally. At no point was the safety of the flight compromised. The safety and well-being of passengers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority,” they stated.

Notably, passengers departing for the return journey to London from Luton were delayed by three hours.

Meanwhile, a few weeks ago, a pilot of a small aircraft experienced a medical emergency when a passenger took control and the aircraft crashed onto an island in Massachusetts, USA, according to The Washington Post.

The event took place in West Tisbury, Massachusetts, near Martha’s Vineyard Airport. According to the Massachusetts State Police, the 79-year-old male pilot experienced an emergency during the plane’s final approach. “The accident resulted in a forced landing off the runway that caused the left wing of the aircraft to break in half,” the Post quoted state police as saying.

The pilot was then taken to a Boston hospital in critical condition. The passenger was not injured and was released from a local hospital, The Post reported, citing authorities.