Air India Delhi-Vijayawada flight diverted to Jaipur due to medical emergency

The flight landed safely at Jaipur around 6.42 am, after which the passenger was deboarded and rushed to a nearby hospital in an ambulance for medical treatment. (File photo)

An Air India flight operating from New Delhi to Vijayawada was diverted to Jaipur on Monday morning after a passenger fell ill mid-air, sources said.

According to officials, an elderly passenger onboard flight AI-2517 developed health complications during the journey, following which the crew diverted the aircraft as a precautionary measure. The flight landed safely at Jaipur around 6.42 am, after which the passenger was deboarded and rushed to a nearby hospital in an ambulance for medical treatment.

The aircraft, an Airbus A320, resumed further procedures after the medical emergency.

Air India has not issued an official statement on the incident so far.

Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 confirmed the diversion of the aircraft to Jaipur.

The incident comes close on the heels of another medical emergency involving an Air India Express flight earlier this month. On January 6, a Jaipur–Bengaluru flight made an emergency landing at Indore after a one-year-old child fell critically ill shortly after takeoff.

According to airport officials, the pilot had sought permission for an emergency landing from Indore Air Traffic Control around 7.30 pm, following which a medical team was placed on standby. The infant, who was reportedly suffering from severe breathing difficulties, was administered emergency care, including CPR, at the airport before being shifted to a private hospital, where the child later died during treatment.

Airlines have protocols in place to divert flights in case of medical emergencies to ensure timely medical assistance for passengers.