Thomson jet to Cyprus lands after pilot collapses

Passengers were left terrified after a pilot collapsed 16 minutes into a flight from Newcastle to Cyprus.

The Thomson jet was 30,000ft in the air when the captain took ill and keeled over leaving some passengers to fear a terror related emergency.

One passenger on the Thomson Holiday Flight 1714 saw the pilot ‘lying prostrate on the floor’ after he passed shortly into the flight from Newcastle to Larnaca, on Sunday.

Passengers were left terrified after a pilot collapsed 16 minutes into a flight from Newcastle to Cyprus.The Thomson jet was 30,000ft in the air when the captain took ill and keeled over leaving some passengers to fear a terror related emergency

The dad-of-one told the Sun: ‘It was terrifying. I glimpsed inside the cockpit door. There was coffee all over the floor and it looked like the guy had collapsed.

‘He was lying prostrate on the floor. It’s not what you want to see happening at the front of the plane.’

For safety, the flight was diverted to Sofia, Bulgaria where it made a safe landing. 

Passengers who forced to wait in hotels for another service the following day while a replacement flight was organised.  

Despite spending £2,100 on a week-long family trip to Cyprus, a caring passenger said: ‘Money wasn’t what I was thinking about when the pilot collapsed.

One passenger on the Thomson Holiday Flight 1714 saw the pilot 'lying prostrate on the floor' after he passed shortly into the flight from Newcastle to Larnaca, on Sunday

One passenger on the Thomson Holiday Flight 1714 saw the pilot ‘lying prostrate on the floor’ after he passed shortly into the flight from Newcastle to Larnaca, on Sunday

‘He was wheeled out of the cockpit and off the plane after our emergency landing before being placed on a stretcher and taken off to hospital.’ 

Thomson Airways said: ‘We can confirm that as a result of one of our pilots feeling unwell, the decision was taken to divert the Newcastle to Larnaca, Cyprus flight last night.

‘A priority landing was requested at Sofia, Bulgaria which was the closest airport and the pilot was taken to a nearby hospital to be assessed.

‘We would like to thank all of our customers for their patience and we are working to get them on their holiday as quickly as possible.

‘The welfare of all customers and crew travelling with us is our priority at all times.’

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