She was on a commercial flight bound for Rome.Image: keystone
April 30, 2026, 8:17 p.mApril 30, 2026, 8:18 p.m
A birth above the clouds: On a scheduled flight of the Italian airline Ita to Rome, a woman gave birth to a boy at an altitude of 10,000 meters.
The woman, who was seven months pregnant, boarded the plane in Dakar, the capital of the West African state of Senegal, Ita said. Shortly after takeoff, she unexpectedly went into labor. With the help of the crew and two other passengers – a doctor and a nurse – the birth took place in a quieter corner of the plane. Child and mother are doing well.
According to the airline, it was the first birth on board an Ita plane. Italy’s former state-owned airline is now part of the German Lufthansa network. The flight AZ855 connects Dakar and Rome’s largest airport, Fiumicino. Ita did not provide any information about the woman’s age or nationality. (sda/dpa)