Jet2 flight forced into emergency landing as ‘pilot has heart attack mid-air’

A scary moment.

Flight LS1266 was travelling from Tenerife to Birmingham when passengers noticed alarming signs and "tearful" staff.

The Airbus A321 aircraft operating the flight was carrying 220 passengers and was forced to divert to Porto, Portugal, after cabin crew were spotted in distress asking if any passengers had medical training.

As per The Mirror, the plan then began a quick descent as the flight diverted to an unscheduled landing in Porto, with the plane's first officer taking over the controls.

The plane touched down safely in Portugal at 2.11am on Friday morning, before being met by emergency services.

One passenger told The Sun: "We were awoken by chaos.

A Jet2 A321 aircraft. Adobe Stock.

"Our two-year-old began crying like many other children onboard because the aircraft was dropping so quickly for an emergency landing."

Another passenger told the outlet: "We were stranded in Portugal for over 13 hours without accommodation.

"They wouldn't let us off the plane itself for over an hour. Then we were just left to wander around.

"There was nowhere to stay. They said accommodation was too expensive."

The passenger added their "full sympathy" for the pilot.

The airline flew a replacement pilot out from Manchester to Porto to operate the flight back to Birmingham.

As per tracking data from Flightradar24, the plane left Porto on Friday (22 May) at around midday, landing in Birmingham two hours later.

Screenshot flightradar24.

According to The Mirror, Jet2 stated: "Flight LS1266 from Tenerife to Birmingham diverted to Porto on Thursday (21st May), due to one of the pilots feeling unwell.

"At no point was safety compromised, and customers subsequently continued their journey. We would like to apologise to customers for this unforeseen delay."