Woman Gives Birth to a Baby on a Flight from Ghana to the US

A woman delivered a healthy baby boy thousands of feet above the Atlantic on a United Airlines flight from Ghana to the US.

On June 30, Journalist Nancy Adobea Anane, who was also on the flight, shared a mother's video with her newborn after the safe delivery of the "lovely baby boy."

A Baby Boy

On Anane's Facebook post, she said they were on board at the United Airlines Flight UA 977 on January 30, and a "lovely baby boy was born."

The baby was supposed to be due in late February but decided to arrive a month earlier at 34,000 feet above sea level at the United Airlines to the US from Ghana.

Dr. Ansah-Addo, a Ghanaian doctor practicing in the US, helped in the delivery after the pilot called for assistance from any medical personnel on board. A flight attendant who used to work as a nurse assisted the doctor in delivering the baby. The bouncy baby boy was born two hours before landing in the US.

The baby was delivered early Sunday morning, at around 3:40 AM ET, and the flight landed at approximately 5:40 AM ET.

Upon arrival at the Washington Dulles International Airport, the paramedics are already on the ground, waiting for the mother and son.

The mother, GG, and the baby are now under medical care.

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United Airlines "acted quickly"

United Airlines stated that its crew "acted quickly" to ensure safe delivery while on Flight 997. On Saturday morning, the flight left Accra, Ghana, and arrived at the Washington Dulles International Airport early Sunday morning.

The statement said, "We were especially thrilled to see the plane land with one extra, especially beautiful, customer onboard."  The mother was beyond grateful to the crew, the doctor, and the nurse. "Thank you so much to the crew, the doctor, the nurse," she said.

Are babies born on flight given a lifetime boarding pass by the airline?

According to Emily McNutt of The Points Guy, the rumor that babies are granted free flights for life is not true in all circumstances. Only a few are known to have received free flight for life. The airlines known to give the privilege to children born in mid-air are Thai Airways, Asia Pacific Airlines, and Air Asia. Virgin Atlantic once granted in-flight baby free flights but only until 21.

Citizenship of babies born on a flight  

McNutt also said several circumstances surround the citizenship of the babies born on a flight. In most countries, babies born on a flight are usually granted the same citizenship as their parent's (jus sanguinis principle)

If the baby is born thousands of feet over the ocean, the first possibility is that the baby follows the parent's citizenship. Another option may be that the baby becomes a citizen from where the aircraft originated, as some countries grant citizenship to flyover babies born within their territorial jurisdiction.

Whatever the citizenship the baby born on the flight maybe, the world will welcome the baby with open arms.

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