by InTrieste
A baby was born prematurely aboard an ITA Airways flight traveling from Dakar to Rome in the early hours of Friday, marking the first recorded in-flight birth in the Italian carrier’s history.
The passenger, a woman seven months into her pregnancy, went into labor approximately one hour after flight AZ855 departed from the Senegalese capital, Dakar. Cabin crew members responded immediately and were assisted by two passengers on board—a doctor and a nurse—who helped manage the delivery in the aircraft cabin.
The airline said both mother and newborn boy were in stable condition following the birth. In a statement posted on social media, ITA Airways described the event as “happy and unexpected,” adding that the child was “in perfect health” and noting he was “the first child born on board an aircraft in the history of ITA Airways.”
The aircraft continued to its destination, landing at Rome Fiumicino Airport, where medical personnel were prepared to receive the passengers upon arrival.
In-flight births on commercial flights remain rare but have occurred on other carriers in recent years. Earlier this week, a passenger delivered a baby aboard a Delta Air Lines flight as it approached Portland, Oregon, with assistance from off-duty medical personnel on board.
In 2023, another in-flight birth took place on a flight from Dubai to Milan when a woman gave birth while the aircraft was over Iranian airspace. The delivery was assisted by a surgeon traveling as a passenger. Upon landing at Milan Malpensa Airport, the mother and newborn were met by medical teams and transferred to a hospital in nearby Varese in good condition.
While commercial aviation crews are trained for medical emergencies at altitude, airlines generally advise passengers in late stages of pregnancy to avoid flying due to the potential risks associated with premature labor and limited onboard medical resources.
