A Gulf Air Airbus A321 passenger aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Erbil, Iraq after a crew member suffered a heart attack mid-flight.
The incident occurred on November 22, 2022, when the Gulf Air Airbus A321 plane, registered A9C-NE, was performing scheduled daily passenger flight GF19 between Bahrain and France.
According to the flight history found on Flightradar24.com, the aircraft took off from Bahrain International Airport (BAH) at 10:22 p.m. (UTC) and was expected to reach Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Paris around six hours after the departure.
But when the plane was nearing the Iraq-Turkey border it suddenly made a sharp ‘V’ turn and diverted to Erbil International Airport (EBL) in the Kurdistan region at around 12:26 a.m. (UTC). This was due to a crew member suffering a heart attack while on the flight.
According to Gulf Air, the A9C-NE continued its flight to Paris once the employee had been taken by local medical services. Unfortunately, the crew member was later declared dead in Erbil.
“The national carrier expresses its deepest condolences to the crew member’s family and loved ones and confirms that the flight resumed to Paris as scheduled. […] Gulf Air reassures that the safety of its passengers and crew comes at the top of its priorities, and thanks the affected flight’s passengers for their patience and understanding,” the airline said in a statement, which was seen by TradeArabia News Service.
