An Airbus A380 operated by Emirates passes through the terminal at Dubai International Airport in March 2020. (Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(CNN) --
An Emirates flight from Tokyo Narita to Dubai International landed on January 19 with one other traveler on board, after a female passenger gave birth in midair.
The delivery occurred on the 12-hour night flight EK 319, which landed at the scheduled time despite the medical emergency, the airline confirmed to CNN.
The passenger and her baby were cared for by Emirates cabin crew, who receive training in medical response to deal with situations such as childbirth or heart attacks.
Emirates told CNN that the mother and baby "were in stable condition and upon arrival in Dubai were treated by local medical personnel. The health and safety of our crew and passengers is of the utmost importance."
What happens when a baby is born on a plane in mid-flight?
Births aboard airplanes are relatively rare.
Emirates' policy towards pregnant travelers is similar to that of many other commercial airlines: they can fly up to their seventh month of pregnancy, unless they have a medical concern or complication.
Passengers pregnant at 29 weeks or more must carry a medical certificate or a letter signed by their doctor or midwife, and flights are not permitted after the 32nd week of a multiple pregnancy or the 36th week of a singleton pregnancy.
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In May 2022, a woman gave birth to a healthy baby boy in the bathroom on a Frontier Airlines flight from Denver to Colorado, with the help of a flight attendant.
And in January 2022, a woman went into labor six hours into a flight between Accra, Ghana, and Washington's Dulles International Airport.
Her son was born safe and sound on the floor of the cabin, in the space left by the emergency exits.
This medical emergency can have a silver lining that no parent can foresee.
In 2016, a baby received free flights for life on Buraq Air after her mother gave birth on a Buraq Air plane.
Baby born on a plane
