Airport News from May
Friday, May 16th, 2014
Aeroplane makes emergency landing in Palma due to birth in flight
A 26 weeks pregnant woman gave birth during the morning when flying from Nigeria to London
Earlier this month a plane flying from Nigeria to London made ​​an emergency landing at Palma de Mallorca airport after a passenger gave birth in flight.  The woman, an African of 30 years, went into premature labor after only 26 weeks of pregnancy, according to medical sources.
The mother and baby were then taken to the Son Espases hospital by ambulance in good condition, although the new born was put in an incubator. The flight finally arrived at London two hours late.
The British Airways flight was BAW82 traveling between the Nigerian city of Abuja and London.
The plane was a Boeing 777 with a capacity for 296 passengers and left at eight o’clock in the morning. Â After about four hours into the flight, flying somewhere over the Mediterranean, the lady of 30 went into labor even though she still had more than two months of pregnancy.
The flight crew reported the incident to the captain, who decided to request permission to land at the nearest airport which was Palma de Mallorca.  Mallorca’s Son Sant Joan airport then followed the protocol and alerted emergency services.
The aeroplane landed in Mallorca shortly after a quarter past one in the afternoon. Â By that time she had already given birth with the help of the cabin crew. Â A waiting ambulance was parked ready on the runway where the ambulance staff attended both mother and the premature baby.
The ambulance crew found the two to be in apparent good condition and transferred them to the Son Espases hospital where they were admitted.
The childbirth in flight forced the captain to take a series of bureaucratic procedures to insure the birth, so the flight was delayed. Finally, after three in the afternoon the aircraft took off from Son Sant Joan and headed to Heathrow Airport , where it landed at half past five in the afternoon, two hours late.
———————————–
Spanish trade unions protest at privatization of airport
The CCOO (Comisiones Obreras,  a Spanish trade union) called for rallies to protest against the privatization of Aena airports which includes Palma de Mallorca for the Wednesday May 14 , between 10 and 11 in the morning. The protests were developed under the theme ‘Public airports are yours, save them’.
In a statement, the CCOO warned that a possible privatization would lead to an increase in rates and a worsening of the quality and safety of the public service, which is provided by the nationally run Aena airports company.
“Aena is a public company that doesn’t cost anything to the public as it’s not financed through the State Budget, but with running costs paid for by users and the economic activity generated at airports,” stated CCOO
The CCOO highlighted the management who have made private companies and individual sections in those airports that do not belong to Aena, such as the airport of Ciudad Real (in which 1,100 million euros was invested and is now closed and for sale); Castellón Airport (where 150 million euros were invested without it ever running) or Corvera airport Murcia, with 200 million euros invested, which become public debt.
By Brendan Bierley
