Overview
- Flight LS1266, which made the diversion in the early hours of Friday, May 22, landed at Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro airport at about 02:11 local time.
- Emergency services and medical staff boarded the Airbus A321 to treat the unwell pilot before transferring them to hospital.
- Around 220 passengers remained on board for more than an hour and then spent roughly 13 hours in the terminal while Jet2 arranged a replacement aircraft and crew.
- Reports say the pilot suffered a suspected heart attack at about 30,000 ft, but that medical cause has not been independently confirmed by authorities.
- Jet2 said safety was not compromised, apologised for the delay and flew a replacement pilot from Manchester to continue passengers to Birmingham, underscoring airline contingency procedures for in-flight medical emergencies.