Panic at 9,000 meters, after the pilot of a plane with more than 200 passengers on board had a heart attack

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A Jet2 holiday flight carrying passengers from Tenerife to Birmingham had to make an emergency landing in Portugalafter the pilot of the aircraft allegedly suffered a heart attack at an altitude of over 9,000 meters.

According to witnesses, cabin crew went on high alert during flight LS1266, running down the aisle and asking visibly affected passengers if there were any medical personnel on board who could intervene in a cockpit emergency, writes The Sun.

Panic on board and rapid descent

Aircraft, a Airbus The A321 with 220 passengers on board began to rapidly lose altitude while making an emergency approach to Porto airport. According to reports, the aircraft was being flown by the co-pilot, who was considered less experienced, after the situation in the cockpit became critical.

One passenger described the panicked moments: “My partner and I were asleep when we were awakened by the chaos. The lights started flashing and the flight attendants, visibly affected, were looking for a doctor on board.”

Jet2 pilot suffers suspected heart attack at 30,000ft, forcing emergency landing in Portugal.

Flight LS1266 carrying up to 220 passengers was en route from Tenerife to Birmingham when the captain was suddenly taken seriously ill at cruising altitude.

Passengers describe waking up… pic.twitter.com/yTrFPpAMUk

— Grifty (@TheGriftReport) May 24, 2026

He added that the situation was aggravated by the reactions of the children on board. “Our two-year-old started crying, as did many other children, because the plane was descending very quickly for an emergency landing.”

Medical intervention on the track

The aircraft landed at 02:11 am on May 22 at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto, where emergency teams were already waiting on the runway. Doctors immediately boarded the plane and treated the pilot, who was later rushed to hospital.

Passengers stranded over 13 hours

Passengers were stranded at Porto airport for around 13 hours before being able to continue their journey to the UK on another aircraft and a replacement flight crew.

“We were held in Portugal for more than 13 hours without accommodation. We were not allowed to leave the plane for over an hour and then we were left to wait without any accommodation. We were told that hotels are too expensive,” said one passenger.

To facilitate the return of passengers, Jet2 sent a pilot from Manchester to Porto.

A passenger said they were told on board that the pilot had suffered a heart attack in the cockpit. Jet2 said flight LS1266 was diverted due to “the health of one of the pilots” and assured that safety was not compromised at any time.