Afghan woman gives birth mid-air on evacuation flight to UK

Turkish media says an evacuation flight from Afghanistan has landed in the UK with an extra passenger – after cabin crew delivered a baby girl mid-air.

When the traditional cry of “Is there a doctor on the flight?” went unanswered on Saturday, Turkish Airlines staff helped 26-year-old Afghan Soman Noori give birth at 30,000 feet, Demiroren News Agency said.

Soman and her husband had been evacuated from Kabul to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where they caught a flight to Birmingham. Shortly after the plane took off on Friday night, Soman’s labour pains started and crew members stepped in to deliver the couple’s third child.

26-year-old Afghan mother Soman Noori holds her baby girl Havva. (AP)

The flight landed in Kuwait as a precautionary measure and mother and baby were deemed healthy enough to carry on to the UK.

The baby girl was named Havva, which translates as Eve in English