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Baby on board ... a Southwest Airlines plane got an extra passenger while mid-flight. Source: Flickr
A WITNESS has told of how the birth of a baby boy on board a plane just moments after it took off came as a surprise to the mother and passengers nearby.
The baby was born on Southwest Airlines Flight 623 which left San Francisco at 6.24am and was bound for Phoenix.
But the plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport after the baby arrived.
The LA Times reports that a witness who was on the morning flight said the mother-to-be was sitting upright in a window seat the whole time.
Ken Marshall told the LA Times that she was reportedly wearing pants and did not move from her seat as the birth occurred.
Surprise birth .. a baby was born on a plane in the US. Picture: Thinkstock Source: ThinkStock
Mr Marshall, who was seated two row ahead of the woman, said passengers suspected something was wrong, but were unaware of the birth taking place until they heard a baby crying.
The woman’s husband then called a flight attendant for help.
She then told the flight attendant: “I just had a baby.â€
While unaware of the birth, Mr Marshall said “something was not quite right†and passengers knew it because they smelt an odour in the cabin, and later saw blood on the floor.
“It was very shocking,†he said.
As fellow passengers cheered and congratulated the new mum, the flight crew found blankets to keep the baby warm.
They used a pair of beauty scissors from one female passenger’s bag to cut the umbilical cord.
Luckily, a doctor and nurse who were on board the aircraft also came to the woman’s aid, before the plane touched down in LA.
Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott says firefighter-paramedics boarded the aircraft and the mother and newborn were taken to a hospital in good condition at 7.30am.
The aircraft was taken out of service for cleaning and the other passengers went on to Phoenix aboard another plane, arriving more than two hours behind schedule.
The Southwest spokeswoman says the airline hopefully has a new customer for life.
Paramedics boarded the flight and provided immediate medical aid to the mother and newborn, LAFD spokesman Erik Scott said.