Dublin Airport handled two unscheduled landings yesterday, including a flight already diverted to Canada.
British Airways flight BA174 from New York was bound for London Heathrow when it was diverted to St John’s in Newfoundland with an ill passenger. It continued its journey after several hours.
However, 300km southwest of Ireland, it opted to divert to Dublin when it became clear it would not reach London within legally permitted crew hours. It was deemed easier to fly a replacement crew to Dublin.
Delta flight DL161, which was travelling from Amsterdam to Minneapolis, was 250km north of Donegal when it turned around. The crew reported a sick passenger. The A330-300 jet landed at 12.20pm and was met by emergency services as the crew confirmed they would be landing “heavy”.
Fire crews were standing by to check whether the undercarriage had overheated. Some smoke was reported from one set of landing gear while the crew also confirmed they had a “hot” brakes indication.
Paramedics boarded the flight where they assessed the passenger before they were removed to hospital for treatment.