A 30 year-old passenger who fell ill during a recent Iceland Express flight from Barcelona to Reykjavik owes her life to the quick thinking of the captain and crew, according Icelandic news site 24 Stundir.

The passenger became seriously unwell after just 45 minutes’ flying time with an irregular heartbeat and difficulty breathing.

It is believed that the woman suffered an acute asthma attack, and had forgotten to bring her medication with her on the flight. The crew gave her oxygen and asthma medicine from the plane’s emergency kit, but without success.

“The crew began by asking if there was a doctor onboard, and then considering the woman’s condition, it was decided to land the plane as quickly as possible,” the captain said. Out of respect for his colleagues, the captain has requested his name not be published.

The pilots landed the plane in Basel, Switzerland. There the woman was rushed to hospital, where she stayed for a day and a half before continuing to Iceland where she is visiting relatives.

Doctors told the patient afterwards that she could have died from a lack of oxygen if not for the quick thinking of the Iceland Express crewmembers.

The captain said the landing in Switzerland went well, but added that when a plane has only spent a short period of time in the air and is still full of fuel, it can be very difficult to land. For that reason, the pilots had to burn off fuel as quickly as possible before landing, including flying with the landing gear down to reduce aerodynamic efficiency.

The captain also said that once or twice a year he is required to perform an early landing due to a passenger falling ill. “I didn’t do anything heroic,” he said. “This is just a part of our jobs, and we are trained to deal with difficult situations.”

Health and safety regulations meant that the crew was not permitted to continue the flight. “As there was no other Iceland Express crew at the airport at the time, the passengers were put up in a hotel overnight,” said Iceland Express media representative Lara Omarsdottir. She said the other passengers on board were very understanding and were able to continue their journey they next day.

Iceland Express is the only budget airline offering cheap flights to Iceland from 14 cities in Europe. For more information, go to www.icelandexpress.com

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