Emirates Airline made 60 flight diversions due to medical emergencies out of a total of 194,000 journeys in 2016.
According to officials, a single diversion can cost the company between AED 183,000 and AED 2.2 million (US $50,000 to US$600,000).
The cost incurred depends on the type of diversion; and includes rerouting for flight catering, fuel, landing and ground handling costs, rebooking costs for passengers, among others.
While diversions for medical issues make up a tiny portion of the millions of flights operated annually, they are costly.
Dr. Richard Jenkins, Vice President of Medical Services for Emirates Airlines tells ARN that these costs are not recoverable.
With more people traveling by air, the actual number of in-flight medical events has been gradually increasing over the years.
Approximately AED 25.7 million (USD 7 million) has been spent on medical equipment on the Emirates airline fleet to ensure that it is fully equipped to deal with emergencies.
The company’s cabin crew and pilots also received 23,000 hours of medical training over the course of 2016 to enable them to assist passengers.
Dr. Richard Jenkins explains that they place a lot of emphasis on on-board emergency healthcare services.
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