China Eastern flight from Shanghai to New York forced to land in Alaska after passenger is taken ill on board
Passenger jet was forced to dump fuel in mid-air so it could land safely in Anchorage
A plane from Shanghai bound for New York was forced to dump 30 tonnes of fuel in mid-air and land in Alaska after a passenger was taken ill on board.
The China Eastern Airlines plane MU587 that took off on Friday evening was around eight hours into its scheduled 15-hour flight, when its crew made an emergency landing at Anchorage airport.
The emergency landing was made after a 60-year-old woman started suffering breathing difficulties and cramps before passing out.
The crew immediately arranged to move the woman from economy class to business class.
But “the situation had not improved after help from a doctor on board”, according to a statement by the airline issued via Facebook.
The crew decided to dump 30 tonnes of fuel before landing in Alaska, while the sick passenger, who was accompanied by her daughter and her grandchild, was transported to hospital immediately.