A flight to Zürich made a diversion to Kazakhstan after the co-pilot experienced a medical emergency.
Swiss flight LX124 took off from Seoul in South Korea just before 10am local time for a 12 and a half hour flight to Zürich in Switzerland on Wednesday, 6 May.
When flying over Kazakhstan, just over six hours into the flight, the Airbus A350 took a sharp turn south over the Karaganda region and diverted its course to the country’s largest city, Almaty.
The plane landed at Almaty International airport just before 1pm local time.
Swiss confirmed the incident, stating that the unscheduled landing occurred due to a “medical emergency involving the co-pilot”.
While the condition of the co-pilot was not specified, the airline said that there were three doctors on board who were able to provide medical assistance.
Based on the recommendation of the doctors, the crew decided to divert the flight to Almaty so that the pilot could receive medical care as quickly as possible.
Upon landing, Swiss said the ill co-pilot was immediately taken to hospital accompanied by another crew member.
The 227 passengers and a further 12 crew members have been given hotel stays in Almaty, with Swiss adding that an additional pilot will travel today to the city to finish the journey to Zürich.
Although there are two other pilots within the current crew, Swiss said the flight cannot continue today “for regulatory and safety-related reasons”.
This is because the two other pilots are captains and strict regulations mean that the flight requires a pilot specifically qualified to operate from the co-pilot’s right-hand seat.
In addition to this, continuing the flight would have meant the crew would have exceeded the legally prescribed maximum duty times before the plane reached Zürich.
“We fully understand that the unscheduled landing in Almaty and the necessary stay there are causing inconvenience to our guests and affecting their travel plans. We sincerely regret this. At the same time, we kindly ask for understanding that the health and wellbeing of our colleague are the top priority in this situation,” Swiss said in a statement.
“Our teams are doing everything possible to support all those affected during this extraordinary situation. They are proactively informing our guests about the next steps.”
Once the crew has rested and the additional pilot arrives, the airline said the flight will continue to Zurich, with the plane expected to depart from Almaty at 1.45am local time, with arrival in Zurich scheduled for Friday morning, 8 May, at 6.30am.
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