Passenger Gives Birth Aboard Flight to New York

A Jamaica-to-New York flight landed with one more passenger aboard than it had when it took off. Caribbean Airlines says a passenger on Flight 005 from Kingston went into labor upon final approach to JFK on Saturday and delivered the baby moments before the flight landed, reports the New York Post. "Tell her she's got to name it Kennedy," an air traffic controller says to the pilot in audio obtained by CBS News. "Ah, Kennedy, will do," the pilot responds, referencing the nod to the airport's name.

Caribbean Airlines' policy allows passengers to fly without medical clearance through 32 weeks of pregnancy, but bars travel after 35 weeks. No details were released about how far along the weekend passenger was. Medical personnel were on hand to meet the plane and treat mother and child. In-flight births remain rare: a 2020 National Library of Medicine study found 74 babies were born on 73 commercial flights worldwide between 1929 and 2018, with 71 surviving delivery, per NBC News.