Co-pilot faints mid-flight, triggering rare 'red alert'; plane lands safely

An easyJet co-pilot fainted on a flight from London to Portugal last week, prompting the issue of a rare '

red alert

. Flight EZY2459 from Luton to Lisbon landed safely with 193 passengers onboard, and paramedics met the aircraft to treat the ill crew member.
The first officer was transported to Lisbon’s

Santa Maria Hospital

for treatment after falling ill as the flight approached Lisbon Airport.

A rare 'red alert,' which mandates a halt of operations as a safety measure, was issued during the medical incident on the

Airbus A320

, reported British online newspaper The Independent.
"easyJet can confirm that the flight EZY2459 from Luton to Lisbon was met by the paramedics upon landing due to a pilot member feeling unwell," said a spokesperson for easyJet.
"The Captain landed the flight routinely in line with procedures and passengers disembarked normally. At no point was the safety of the flight compromised."

"The safety and welfare of passengers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority."
Passengers on the return journey to London Luton faced a delay of approximately three hours due to the incident. Industry standards necessitate having two pilots in the cockpit on commercial flights for safety reasons.
This is not the first time a pilot has become unwell mid-flight. In October, both the captain and co-pilot of a British Airways flight experienced a similar issue after detecting a "foul odour" while flying at 30,000 feet.
The

British Airways incident

occurred on BA Shuttle 13C between Newcastle and London on the morning of 19 October. The flight landed at Heathrow at approximately 9.14 am (local time) and was met by emergency services.
After arriving at BA’s Crew Report Centre, the pilots were assessed by medical staff and later taken to the hospital by hazardous response experts due to smoke inhalation.