Horror as Jet2 pilot suffers 'heart attack' at 30,000ft

A Jet2 pilot suffered a suspected heart attack while flying Brits from Tenerife to Birmingham. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Portugal following the medical incident at 30,000ft.

According to witnesses, some of the stewardesses on the flight were in tears as they frantically asked passengers if anyone was medically trained. The plane, which had up to 220 passengers onboard, eventually landed in Porto at 2.11am on Friday (May 22) before medics rushed on to treat the pilot. He was then taken to hospital while the passengers were forced to wait for 13 hours at Francisco Sa Carneiro airport before returning to the UK.

A passenger told The Sun: “My partner and I were asleep when we were awoken by chaos. Lights began flashing and hostesses who were visibly upset, seeking a doctor.

“Our two-year-old began crying like many other children onboard because the aircraft was dropping so quickly for an emergency landing.”

A second passenger told the publication that they were “stranded” in Portugal without accomodation for around 13 hours. Due to the pilot’s condition, Jet2 flew a second pilot from Manchester to help bring them home later in the day.

The airline offered the passengers a free change onto a Jet2 flight to any of their 14 UK destinations in the next week. They have also apologised to those affected by the disruption.

A Jet2 spokesperson said: “Flight LS1266 from Tenerife to Birmingham diverted to Porto on Thursday (21st May), due to one of the pilots feeling unwell.

“At no point was safety compromised, and customers subsequently continued their journey. We would like to apologise to customers for this unforeseen delay.”