By Pat Flynn

A transatlantic flight diverted to Shannon this morning after a passenger was reported to have fallen ill.

Air Berlin flight AB-7447 was travelling from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic to Düsseldorf at the time. There were 287 passengers and a crew of 11 on board.

The Airbus A330-200 jet was about an hour west of Ireland when the crew declared a medical emergency and told controllers they wished to divert.

The crew requested a doctor and ambulance to be waiting for the aircraft on arrival. The flight landed safely at 4.43am and was met at the terminal by ambulance paramedics.

The passenger was removed to University Hospital Limerick for treatment while the flight continued its journey shortly before 7am.

Meanwhile, an Aer Lingus flight diverted to Shannon last night after the crew reported a possible issue with one of the jet’s hydraulic systems.

Flight EI-495 was en route from Faro in Portugal to Dublin when the crew made the decision not to continue but to divert to Shannon instead.

The Airbus A320-200 jet, with 102 passengers and a crew of six on board, was about 100 kilometres south of Cork when the crew informed controllers they had an indication in cockpit.

The flight diverted to Shannon where it landed safely at 8.22pm.

The jet was met by airport fire crews and stopped on the runway for a time so that an inspection of the aircraft could be undertaken.

The plane was able to taxi to the terminal where a further inspection was carried out. Fire crews confirmed that the jet had suffered some leakage of hydraulic fluid.