These heartwarming photos were taken moments after a baby boy was born on board a long-haul flight 39,000 feet above the Atlantic.
The Lufthansa flight from Colombia to Germany was quickly diverted to Manchester Airport after the unexpected delivery on Wednesday afternoon.
Luckily, three passengers happened to be doctors and were on hand to help deliver baby Nikolai, who was adorably named after one of the medics.
The plane was grounded at Manchester at 1pm so the healthy newborn and his Bulgarian mother Desislava, 38, could receive special care at Wythenshawe Hospital.
Captain of the flight, Kurt Mayer, said he’d ‘never experienced anything like it’ in his 37-year career.
He said: ‘Aside from the birth of my own son, this was the most moving moment of my life.’The entire crew did an extraordinary job. This was great teamwork, with everyone doing their part. ‘After landing, I immediately went to the mother and the newborn child to welcome him to the world.’
Desislava started experiencing premature labour pains after the flight took off from Bogota at 9pm on Tuesday.
Several passengers were moved to the front of the plane, while the back of the aircraft became an impromptu delivery room.
The entire delivery area was closed off with a privacy screen, and the birth was carried out without any complications.
