A TRANSATLANTIC flight was forced to divert to Shannon Airport today after the captain became 'incapacitated'.
Norwegian Air Shuttle flight DY-7042 was travelling from Florida to Copenhagen this morning hen it was diverted to Shannon at 9.51am.
The co-pilot declared a medical emergency onboard after a crew member fell ill. The airline has since confirmed it was the captain.
A third pilot who was in the cockpit at the time assisted with the diversion and emergency landing.
The Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner jet arrived to Shannon shortly before 10am.
Emergency medical services were standing by and removed the captain by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick upon landing.
There were 266 passengers and crew onboard at the time. They were allowed to disembark in Shannon and were provided with meal vouchers for the inconvenience.
A Norwegian spokesman said: “Flight DY7042 from Fort Lauderdale to Copenhagen was diverted to Shannon Airport this morning where it landed safely.
"The safety and security of our passengers and crew is Norwegian's highest priority and the diversion was made as a precaution after the captain fell ill.
"The captain was replaced and the flight resumed to Copenhagen this afternoon. We would like to thank passengers for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
The passengers were allowed to continue their journey to Copenhagen and the flight resumed its journey at 1.30pm.
