Mid-air panic as pilot collapses in cockpit
A Thomas Holidays flight was forced to make an emergency landing on Sunday when the pilot collapsed in the cockpit just 16 minutes after take-off.
One passenger on the Thomson Holiday flight 1714 saw the pilot “lying prostrate on the floor” after he keeled over just 16 minutes into the flight from Newcastle, UK to Larnaca, Cyprus, The Sun reports.
Panic started to spread throughout the flight as passengers saw crew rushing to collect oxygen cylinders to take into the cockpit.
“It was terrifying,” the passenger, a father of one, told The Sun.
“I glimpsed inside the cockpit door. There was coffee all over the floor and it looked like the guy had collapsed.
“He was lying prostrate on the floor. It’s not what you want to see happening at the front of the plane.”
The plane, which has only been in the air for 16 minutes, made an emergency landing in Bulgaria, where passengers had to stay in hotels overnight.
Another passenger, who spent £2,100 for a family week-long break in Cyprus, said: “Money wasn’t what I was thinking about when the pilot collapsed.
“He was wheeled out of the cockpit and off the plane after our emergency landing before being placed on a stretcher and taken off to hospital.”
Shocked passengers were frustrated with the lack of information the airlines provided about their emergency landing, with Samantha Eaton tweeting: “What the hell is going on, diverted to Sofia, trying to get home to Larnaca! 24 hour helpline no help no flight info.”
Alison Wilkinson also complained about Thomson’s lack of information on what to do next.
“Stuck @ Sofia airport after plane diverted from Newcastle ... anyone know whats happening,” she tweeted.
“Any news, we have been standing outside Sofia airport for 30 minutes waiting for buses/taxes in 8 degrees.”
Thomson Airways told The Sun: “We can confirm that as a result of one of our pilots feeling unwell, the decision was taken to divert the Newcastle to Larnaca, Cyprus flight last night.
“A priority landing was requested at Sofia, Bulgaria which was the closest airport and the pilot was taken to a nearby hospital to be assessed.
“We would like to thank all of our customers for their patience and we are working to get them on their holiday as quickly as possible.
“The welfare of all customers and crew travelling with us is our priority at all times.”