Woman who delivered baby on flight faces penalty

In the rarest of occurrences, a woman gave birth to a child onboard a Los Angeles-bound China Airlines flight after she unexpectedly went into labour.

She gave birth two months early than the due date.

The doctor who tended to the pregnant mother while she was delivering the baby girl was a co-passenger who had got on the flight from Bali.

But now she faces paying Dh1,18,982 in compensation to the airline.

Airport bosses claim she was breaking regulations by not telling them she was 36 weeks pregnant.

The plane had to make an unscheduled landing in Alaska as the mother and newborn had to be shifted to a hospital.

It is claimed the mum wanted her child to be born in the US so they would qualify for automatic citizenship.

Minister of Transport and Communications Chen Jian-yu - the government owns most of the airline - said the diversion and extra costs incurred came to more than £21,000 and the company want her to pay it back.

The woman was deported and returned to Taiwan while her baby is in the care of a friend in the US.

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