Jet2 flight en route from Scotland to Spain diverted to Portugal after 'passenger emergency'

A Jet2 flight from Scotland to Spain was forced to divert more than 600 miles from its original destination after a passenger suffered a medical emergency on board.

Flight LS167 departed Glasgow Airport at 3.17pm on Wednesday, scheduled to land in Lanzarote at 7.50pm local time.

However, flight tracking data showed the Boeing 737-800 changed course and diverted to Faro, Portugal, so the passenger could receive urgent medical attention.

After landing in Faro, the passenger was taken off the aircraft to receive treatment before the flight continued to Lanzarote without further reported incident.

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Jet2 has not released further details about the passenger, or the nature of the emergency.

Medical diversions are a routine safety measure in commercial aviation, allowing crews to ensure passengers receive prompt medical care when required, often compensating other passengers for the disturbance.

The incident came as another mid-air emergency involving a Ryanair flight drew attention after an engine problem left passengers believing they might not survive.

Ljubiša Karovi, 61, and his wife, Svetlana Grkovi, were travelling home to Serbia after a holiday in Greece when their Ryanair flight encountered difficulties shortly after departing Thessaloniki last Friday.

According to reports, the aircraft took off at around 5.55am local time, before the captain detected a problem with one of the engines while flying over North Macedonia.

The crew decided to turn the aircraft around and return to Thessaloniki as a precaution.

During the return journey, Ms Grkovi claimed part of the engine struck a cabin window next to where her husband was seated.

Ryanair has confirmed that a window became dislodged during the flight, but has not publicly confirmed reports that engine debris caused the damage.

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Ms Grkovi alleged her husband was partially pulled towards the opening created by the damaged window due to cabin pressure.

She said she immediately grabbed hold of his legs to stop him from being dragged further outside the aircraft.

Speaking to Serbian outlet Nova, she described the terrifying experience, saying: "It was as if a part of the engine broke off and hit the window next to which my husband Ljubiša was sitting.

"I reacted immediately and grabbed his legs. I thought 'if we die, we die together.' It was horrible."

The aircraft landed safely back in Thessaloniki, where emergency services were waiting to treat Mr Karovi for injuries sustained during the incident.

The airline has not provided further details, while the incident remains under investigation.

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