Incident Details
The flight departed George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, shortly after 4:00 PM local time on Sunday, October 18. According to aviation news site AirLive, the aircraft was cruising at 34,000 feet south of Ireland after almost eight hours of transatlantic travel when the crew issued a general emergency signal to air traffic control. The signal involved squawking code 7700.
The diversion was prompted by a passenger falling ill mid-flight and requiring immediate medical assistance. Upon declaring the emergency, the aircraft initiated a sharp left turn toward the Irish mainland. Air traffic controllers vectored the plane directly to Dublin Airport, where emergency medical crews were placed on standby.