An Alitalia aircraft carrying some 179 passengers and crew was forced to make an emergency landing at Shannon airport this evening after the pilot suffered a suspected heart attack.
The Boeing 767 plane, which was travelling from Milan to JFK Airport in New York, transmitted a distress call to Shannon Air Traffic Control earlier this afternoon when it was west of the airport over the North Atlantic.
Emergency services from Shannon, Ennis and Limerick were standing by at Shannon airport when the plane landed shortly after 5pm.
An airport spokeswoman said the plane landed safely after being forced to make a “medical diversion” to Shannon while en route to New York, and that the pilot was taken to hospital for treatment.
It is understood there were 168 passengers and 11 crew on board.
The passengers are staying in a local hotel tonight and leaving for New York tomorrow morning.
Additional reporting PA