Emergency landing in Porto following pilot's mid-flight health crisis

On Friday, May 22, a flight traveling from Tenerife to Birmingham carrying 220 passengers performed an emergency landing at Porto Airport at 2:11 a.m. The decision to divert was made after the pilot suffered a heart attack while the aircraft was at an altitude of 30,000 feet. The co-pilot assumed control and executed a rapid descent, which caused distress among passengers. While some witnesses described a chaotic atmosphere and fear during the descent, the airline maintained that the safety of the passengers was never compromised. The pilot was transported to a hospital upon landing, and the passengers were later transported to the United Kingdom on a replacement flight. The airline issued an apology for the incident and provided affected passengers with the option to rebook onto other flights within the following week.