Ill aircrew member sparks emergency

An emergency was declared was Sumburgh Airport yesterday, after one of the aircrew on a flight which had just left Kirkwall became unwell, however the plane landed without incident.

A spokesman for Loganair said: “Flight BE6939 was enroute from Kirkwall to Sumburgh carrying 16 passengers and three crew.

“The first officer became unwell so the captain of the Saab 340 aircraft informed air traffic control Sumburgh and proceeded to land safely in Sumburgh Airport – met by emergency services as is procedure in these situations.”

The statement added: “Loganair’s pilots and crew are extensively trained to deal with this type of scenario and the captain landed the aircraft safely and ahead of schedule.

“The first officer was conscious throughout and will return to flying duties in due course.”