Jet2 ‘chaos’ after pilot falls ill forcing flight to land in Portugal

WorldTravel
26 May 2026 • 11:28 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Jet2 ‘chaos’ after pilot falls ill forcing flight to land in Portugal

  • A Jet2 flight (LS1266) from Tenerife to Birmingham was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Porto, Portugal, in the early hours of Friday morning after its pilot became unwell mid-flight.
  • The Airbus A321, carrying up to 220 passengers, diverted almost three hours into its four-hour journey, with emergency services boarding the aircraft upon landing to treat the pilot before he was transported to hospital.
  • Passengers reported 'chaos' and an 'emergency landing' that caused distress among children, and were subsequently stranded in Porto for over 13 hours without accommodation.
  • Jet2 arranged for a replacement pilot to be flown from Manchester to Porto, allowing passengers to continue their journey, and apologised for the 'unforeseen delay,' assuring that safety was never compromised.
  • This incident follows a similar event earlier this month where a Swiss flight from Seoul to Zürich diverted to Kazakhstan due to a co-pilot experiencing a medical emergency.

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