How Africa
A plane was forced to turn around shortly after take-off when a mum realised she’d left her baby at the airport. The Saudia jet was en route to Kuala Lumpur when the forgetful mother demanded she be reunited with her child, Gulf News reported.
Footage appears to capture the pilot asking air traffic controllers for permission to return to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In the clip, which has gone viral on social media, the pilot is heard asking ATC staff: “May God be with us. Can we come back or what?”
After noting the flight number – SV832 – the operator asks a colleague what protocol they should follow, if one even exists.
The pilot adds: “This flight is requesting to come back…a passenger forgot her baby in the waiting area, the poor thing,”
When ATC asked the pilot to confirm the story, he replied: “We told you, a passenger left her baby in the terminal and refuses to continue the flight.”
The operator then gave them permission to return to King Abdul Aziz International Airport.
He said:“Okay, head back to the gate. This is totally a new one for us!”
According to Gulf News, some praised the pilots while others slammed the mum for being careless.
A voice recording, which has been widely shared online in the Arab world, reveals how puzzled aviation staff tried to deal with the crisis.
The pilot reportedly asked them: ‘May God be with us. Can we come back or what?’
One of the controllers can then be heard asking a colleague: ‘This flight is requesting to come back…a passenger forgot her baby in the waiting area, the poor thing.’
They then said: ‘OK, head back to the gate. This is totally a new one for us!’
The bizarre delay reportedly took place over the weekend.
Flight-tracking data showed a Saudia flight from Jeddah to Kuala Lumpur departing almost an hour late on Saturday, but it was unclear if this was the same one.
The pilot of the Saudia plane (file photo) reportedly had to request permission to return to Jeddah from baffled air traffic controllers after the woman noticed her mistake
It was not clear whether the plane had already taken off or was taxiing towards the runway when the woman realised her mistake.
Last year police in Germany said a couple had left their daughter at an airport in Stuttgart on their way back from a holiday.
Officers allegedly spotted the five-year-old wandering alone around the terminal last October.
Each parent had reportedly driven off separately and believed the child was in the other’s car.
