US-bound flight diverts to Shannon after passenger falls ill
A United Airlines flight diverted to Shannon Airport this afternoon after a passenger fell ill.
Flight UA-71 was en route from Amsterdam to Newark, New Jersey when it had to turn around over the Atlantic at around 11.20am. There were 174 passengers and crew on board.
The flight was more than two hours into its flight when the crew notified air traffic controllers at Shannon of their emergency.
A woman in her late 30s is understood to have suffered a diabetic episode.
Airport fire and rescue vehicles were standing by for the Boeing 757-200 jet when it landed at 12.29pm.
A HSE ambulance and advanced paramedic were also waiting at the terminal for the flight. The woman has been taken to University Hospital Limerick for treatment.
The flight continued its journey shortly after 2pm.
On Thursday, a United Airlines flight from Shannon to Newark returned to the airport after a 71-year-old man suffered a heart attack about 90 minutes after take-off.
It later emerged the passenger was New York Mets baseball legend Rusty Staub (pictured) who is recovering in hospital in Limerick.
