Jet2 emergency landing in Porto after pilot has suspected heart attack at 30,000ft on flight from Spain to UK

A holiday flight carrying passengers from Spain to the UK was forced to make an emergency landing in Portugal after the pilot was suspected of suffering a heart attack at an altitude of 30,000ft.

Panic broke out on Jet2 flight LS1266 when the plane suddenly began to descend while heading to Porto in the early hours of Friday.

Eyewitnesses described cabin crew running down the aisle in tears as the cockpit incident took place and asking whether any of the passengers had medical training.

“My partner and I were asleep when we woke up due to the chaos,” one passenger said.

“The lights were flashing and the stewardesses were visibly upset and called for a doctor.

“Our two-year-old started crying, like many other children, when the plane descended too quickly for an emergency landing.”

The Airbus A321 plane, carrying up to 220 passengers, landed at Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport at around 2.11 in the morning.

Emergency services were waiting on the runway and rushed to the aircraft to treat the injured pilot in the cockpit before taking him to hospital.

The passengers were then stranded in Porto for approximately 13 hours and then continued their journey on a replacement flight from Tenerife to Birmingham with a new cockpit crew.

“We were stranded in Portugal for over 13 hours with no accommodation,” one traveler said.

“They didn’t let us off the plane for over an hour and then we were left to wander.

“There was no place to stay. They said accommodation was too expensive.”

Jet2 then flew in a pilot from Manchester to assist with the return journey.

One passenger said the airline informed them that the pilot had suffered a heart attack, but Jet2 later said the diversion was due to the pilot not feeling well.

Jet2 said: “At no point was safety compromised and customers subsequently continued their journeys.

“We apologize for the unforeseen delay.”