A 15-YEAR-OLD boy with suspected meningitis was recovering in hospital last night after a transatlantic jet on which he was travelling declared an emergency and diverted to Shannon airport.
Continental Airlines flight CO61 was en route from Brussels, Belgium, to Newark in New Jersey (US), when the pilot contacted air traffic controllers at Shannon to notify them that a 15-year-old boy had fallen ill on board and that crew members suspected he was suffering from meningitis.
The flight is understood to have crossed the Irish coastline at 10.40am and was about an hour in to its Atlantic crossing when the pilot sought permission to land at Shannon.
The aircraft turned around and diverted to Shannon where it landed safely at 12.48pm. Fire crews escorted the jet to the terminal building where medical crews were standing by to assess the patient.
The jet was carrying 240 passengers and crew was forced to declare a “full emergency” as the pilot decided to land “heavy” with over 3,000 gallons of fuel. Because the aircraft landed with such a large fuel load, fire crews were put on standby at the airport as a precaution and in accordance with safety procedures.
The child was examined at the scene and later removed by ambulance to St John’s Hospital in Limerick city for treatment.
The patient was accompanied to the hospital by his parents, however it was not clear last night whether the boy is suffering from the potentially life-threatening bacterial meningitis or the less serious viral infection.
The aircraft was able to continue its journey at 3.19pm after 2½ hours on the ground.