Three doctors were on board Co-pilot suffers medical emergency - Swiss flight lands in Almaty

Swiss flight LX123 from Seoul to Zurich had to make an unscheduled landing in Almaty on Wednesday. The reason was a medical emergency involving the co-pilot. Three doctors on board provided first aid.

A Swiss flight from Seoul to Zurich made an emergency call over Kazakhstan and subsequently landed in Almaty. As the airline confirmed to blue News, this was flight LX123, which had to make an unscheduled stopover in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, May 6.

At the request of blue News, Swiss said: "The landing in Almaty was due to a medical emergency of the co-pilot." Fortunately, there were three doctors on board who were able to provide the pilot with medical assistance.

On the recommendation of the doctors, the crew also decided to divert the flight to Almaty so that the pilot could receive the necessary medical treatment quickly.

"The health and well-being of our colleague is our top priority in this situation," Swiss continued. At the same time, the airline is aware of the considerable impact on passengers' travel plans and deeply regrets the situation.

According to Swiss, there were 227 passengers and 14 crew members on board the aircraft. The aircraft was an Airbus A350-941 with the registration HB-IFB.

According to flight data from the Flightradar24 portal, the aircraft had previously deviated from its planned route. The pilot had activated transponder code 7700, which signals a general air emergency. The aircraft was approaching Almaty at around 9.30 am (Swiss time) and landed shortly after 9.47 am.

Swiss explains to blue News that the teams are doing their utmost to support the sick pilot in this extraordinary situation and to find the best possible solution for the passengers. Details on the next steps cannot be communicated at this time. An update will follow as soon as reliable information is available.