Baby born on Finnair flight from Helsinki to Paris
On a Friday morning Finnair flight from Helsinki to Paris, a baby was born. The flight landed at the Paris airport at around 10:19 am, but an hour before landing, the plane’s passenger count had increased by one, confirmed by Finnair’s communications.
Fellow passenger Henriikka Hiilloskorpi, who had been dozing on the morning flight, was awakened when a call was made for a doctor or nurse on the flight. Two passengers got up and went to the back of the plane following the announcement. Events unfolded quickly, according to Hiilloskorpi. “Within a minute of the announcement, I heard the cry of a newborn baby,” she recounted.
The birth happened so swiftly that there was no need to assist the baby into the world. Hiilloskorpi mentioned that a male passenger, who was on the flight, got up after the announcement and helped the mother in the back of the plane following the birth. “He looked like he knew what he was doing,” Hiilloskorpi described.
The man who helped with the birth was reportedly a firefighter named Olli Paavola. The situation was handled professionally by both the cabin crew and the people who rushed to help, according to Hiilloskorpi.
Hiilloskorpi also mentioned that the woman who gave birth was likely on the flight with her spouse and a small child. “I can’t say for sure, but they were with her, and the man was holding the baby,” she said. Paramedics were waiting for the flight in Paris.
Hiilloskorpi did not know the family’s nationality but said they spoke English with the cabin crew. The atmosphere on the plane was excited and curious. “I saw that even the flight attendant was holding the little bundle in her arms. The baby was swaddled in Finnair blankets; it was a sweet sight,” she shared.
When the flight landed in Paris, passengers were asked to stay in their seats. Several paramedics and likely a doctor came aboard and went to the back of the plane where the newborn baby was. Afterward, the other passengers were allowed to leave the plane.
“It was wonderful to be a part of such a surprising and rare situation. It was such a lovely event since everything clearly went well,” Hiilloskorpi summed up her experience.
Finnair’s communications director Päivy Tallqvist confirmed that a baby was born on the flight, but Finnair declined to comment further on the details of the event.