A Cebu Pacific flight bound for Manila turned extraordinary after a woman on board gave birth mid-flight.
Missy Berberabe Umandal, another passenger on the flight shared what she witnessed via a Facebook post that has now gone viral.
“A woman near our seat gave birth to a healthy baby girl, on our flight from Dubai back to PH,” she started.
According to Umandal, the lady started having contractions about five hours into the flight. Fortunately, there were two nurses who were able to assist in delivering the baby.
“We only heard one semi-loud screech, and a few seconds later, there were tinier, cute screeches, and it was when we knew the baby was born. Luckily, she (the pregnanat passenger) only had to push once,” Umandal said.
The woman safely returned to her seat after giving birth. Another passenger provided infant clothes for the newborn.
“One of the passengers had a suitcase full of infant clothes and necessities, which could not have come at a better time. They had a sterilized shelf filled mineral water as a makeshift wash basin to clean the baby in,” Umandal added.
The supposedly 9-hour flight lasted 18 hours because the pilot decided to take an emergency landing in India to ensure the safety of the baby, who was born about two months ahead of schedule.
The other passengers on board had no complaints.
“This is something you don’t get to see everyday. It only happens in movies, and we’re lucky to witness this miracle,” Umandal said.
The baby, who Umandal said might be named “Haven,” will carry a Philippine passport and will have a Filipino citizenship.
The United Nations Convention on International Civil Aviation, under the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, the baby born on a ship or aircraft will take the “citizenship” of the airline, ABS-CBN News reports.
Cebu Pacific is registered in the Philippines.
According to a tradition practiced in many airlines around the world, babies born on planes get a lifetime of free trips, but Cebu Pacific has yet to confirm if baby Haven will be given the same perk.
