Woman gives birth on Lebanon airport tarmac

An Algerian woman who gave birth on the tarmac of Lebanon’s Beirut International Airport, shortly after her plane landed, has been given a clean bill of health, a Middle East Airlines (MEA) representative has said.

An MEA spokeswoman confirmed last week's birth to The National.

“Both the mum and the baby are healthy,” she said. She added that the mother and baby were taken to hospital after the birth.

The woman, on her way to Dubai from Lagos in Nigeria, was transiting through Beirut.

Although the woman had been medically cleared to fly, she went into labour en route to Lebanon, shortly before the plane landed.

“She delivered on board upon landing with the help of our cabin crew’s expertise,” the MEA spokeswoman told The National.

Asked by The National if the MEA crew members were trained in delivering babies, she said: “Our crew is very well trained”.

“It’s not the first time this has happened,” the spokeswoman said.

“In 2019, we had a lady who delivered on board during a flight from Doha.”