A passenger plane reportedly had to turn around and go back to a Saudi airport after a mother left her baby at the terminal.
The Saudia flight from Jeddah was said to be on its way to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when the woman realised she was missing her child and alerted cabin crew. The pilot then had to request permission to return to Jeddah from baffled air traffic controllers, Arab media reported.
The woman had left the child behind in the departure lounge at King Abdul Aziz International Airport. A voice recording, which has been widely shared online in the Arab world, reveals how puzzled aviation staff tried to deal with the crisis.
After making contact with the operators, the pilot is heard asking them:
May God be with us. Can we come back or what? This flight is requesting to come back… a passenger forgot her baby in the waiting area, the poor thing.
After confirming the flight number – SV832 – the operator can then be heard asking another colleague about the protocol, before asking the pilot to confirm the reason for turning around.
At this, the pilot replies:
We told you, a passenger left her baby in the terminal and refuses to continue the flight.
The operator then gave them permission to return to King Abdul Aziz International Airport.
Okay, head back to the gate. This is totally a new one for us!
No further information about the mother or the child was available, but it appears the two were reunited once the plane returned to the airport.
