A sky-high birth — at 33,000 feet

Doctors and nurses on Finnair flight helped deliver baby, the first for airline

updated 3:41 p.m. ET Nov. 20, 2008

HELSINKI, Finland - Finnair says a Swedish woman gave birth to a girl 33,000 feet (11,000 meters) over Kazakhstan on a flight from Bangkok to Helsinki.

The Finnish national carrier's spokesman Christer Haglund says mother and baby are fine. They were met at the airport by a medical team.

Two doctors and two nurses were among the 227 passengers on the 11-hour flight aboard the MD-11 aircraft. They assisted the birth Thursday with the aid of a satellite link to a medical service.

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It was the first time a baby had been born on a Finnair flight. Haglund said the airline will give the family return tickets to Bangkok.

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