Air smiles: Canadian woman gives birth on Japan flight

A Canadian woman gave birth aboard a plane to Tokyo after going into labour over the Pacific Ocean, a spokesman for Air Canada said today, an event the baby’s father described as “completely unexpected”.

The 23-year-old woman delivered a baby girl mid-air with the help of a doctor who volunteered after crew asked passengers for medical help.

The plane was given priority to land at Narita Airport, just outside the Japanese capital, but by the time it taxied to a halt, it had one more passenger than it had started with. “I couldn’t imagine. This happened completely unexpectedly,” the father, whose name was not revealed, told Japanese television. “It turned out to be a beautiful baby girl,” he added, showing a snap of the little bundle taken on his smartphone.

The Air Canada plane from Calgary bound for Narita landed 30 minutes ahead of schedule after being bumped up the queue by air traffic controllers.