A US-bound passenger jet made a U-turn over the Atlantic this afternoon and diverted to Shannon Airport after the crew declared a medical emergency.
Delta Air Lines flight DL-31 was travelling from London Heathrow to Atlanta in the US at the time. The flight had already flown through Irish airspace having departed Heathrow at around 12.10pm.
The Airbus A330-300 jet was almost three hours into it’s journey when the crew opted to turn around and divert to Shannon. There were 307 passengers and crew on board.
Airport fire crews were standing by for the aircraft when it landed. This was a precautionary measure in case the jet’s braking system overheated during the emergency landing.
The aircraft was accompanied to the terminal building by emergency vehicles after it landed safely at 5.06pm.
An HSE ambulance and doctor were also waiting at the terminal for the flight. Medics quickly board the aircraft where they assessed the passenger who was later removed to University Hospital Limerick for treatment.
