The pilot, who was suffering from a severe migraine, was taken to hospital and the flight made its way to Frankfurt after a replacement was found.
A Lufthansa spokesperson has officially thanked the off-duty pilot for their efforts in helping to land the plane.
However, in an interview with dailymail.co.uk, they were keen to make it clear that the passengers would have been fine even without this lucky occurrence.
“In such circumstances, it’s absolutely normal procedure for the pilot, the flight captain, to continue to operate the aircraft. Also, where necessary, the cabin crew are fully trained and can be called upon to read checklists back to the pilot,” they explained.
“The procedures are in place for such an eventuality – but the efforts of the off-duty pilot were certainly appreciated.”
Lufthansa 747 – D-ABVH – Photo © Ferdi – pinkfroot.com – Thanks!
Charles M0OXO
I was born in the 1960’s and have lived all my life in the Coal Mining Town of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, Northern England. My parents were all from this area of Yorkshire and my father worked in the main Industry of the local Collieries as a face worker. I have been married to my wife Debbie for 35+ years and we have two children and two grandchildren.
I have been licensed for around 20 years after my interest was re-kindled when I retired from my role as a Police Officer within South Yorkshire Police Force. The latter few years were spent as Radio Operator in the Force Operations Control Room at Sheffield, before my career ended.
IOTA chasing is (and always has been) my real passion, as climbing the ladder to reach Honour Roll status was always my main aim. The 1000 Islands Trophy is still out of reach but I am heading in the right direction. I am currently a Board Member of IOTA Ltd and IREF.
In my free time I am a keen Photographer of Wildlife, Aviation, (anything really) but the QSL Manager role is my main passion within Ham Radio.
https://www.m0oxo.com/
https://www.m0oxo.com/oqrs/
