Baby born mid-air on Emirates flight named after airline

A baby born mid-air on an Emirates flight has been named EK, after the airline's code, UAE weekly XPRESS reported on Thursday.

The flight, EK 322 from Dubai to Manila, was forced to make an emergency landing in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam after a 35-year-old woman went into pre-term labour in the plane's toilet.

Two nurses that happened to be on board the aircraft and four flight attendants helped deliver the baby boy, who was born premature at 27 weeks.

“When I saw the mother walking toward the toilet, she seemed to be in pain. The father was restless… walking back and forth, nearly in tears, so I offered to help,” one of the nurses told XPRESS.

When she went to the toilet to help, she found the baby turning bluish-brown due to a lack of oxygen, the report said.

The nurses then cleaned the baby, removing amniotic fluid from the baby's mouth, nose and ears to help him breathe. Flight attendants gave both mother and baby oxygen masks and kept them warm using LED lamps until landing.

According to the report, the Filipino couple, who work as hotel staff in Dubai, were heading home for the delivery to save on costs.

While the mother was discharged from hospital on Friday, the baby remains in critical care, the report said.