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Flights were diverted to get the passenger on the ground as soon as possible
A Ryanair passenger leapt into action and saved a fellow passenger who suffered a heart attack during a flight.
A passenger suffered what was thought to be a heart attack two hours into a flight from Leeds Bradford Airport to the Canary Islands on Thursday.
Air traffic control cleared the skies and diverted all other planes to allow the flight to land as soon as possible.
Planes were also moved off the ground to allow the plane to land.
A 50-year-old man from Grimsby gave first aid to the unwell man on his way back to his seat after he went to the toilet.
He was alerted to the issue after the captain of the plane gave an announcement over the speakers in search of any medical professionals.
"I rushed to the back of the plane when the captain asked for help," he told Grimsby Live.
He added: "We had just gone past Portugal and were over two hours into the flight. The captain asked if there was a doctor or nurse on the plane.
“Luckily there were and the three of us went to the man. If it wasn't for the doctor, the nurse and me, he would not have made it.
“His lips were blue and his skin was white. I had no idea if he would survive. He was in a real bad way. Everyone on the plane was concerned.
“Someone looked after the man's wife. He was given bottled oxygen which was on board.”
He went on to praise the Ryanair crew: “They were fantastic.”
He said that the flight appeared to speed up following the announcement and went straight to Tenerife South, arriving 30 minutes earlier than the scheduled time.
Upon arrival, the man said an ambulance was travelling with the plane to collect the passenger immediately.
Passengers then disembarked at the front of the plane to allow three paramedics to provide emergency treatment.
After helping the man, he headed to his resort hotel in Costa Adeje.
He continued to say: “I still can't believe it happened. You set off on holiday and think it will be relaxing and then something like this happens.
He added: "The Spanish authorities clearly knew how critical he was and cleared the runway. The air traffic controllers did an excellent job getting us a direct flight path.
“All the other flights were told to divert. Normally the plane would circle around but we went direct and landed very quickly."
Spanish air traffic control posted on X confirming they diverted flights.
They said: “We shortened their route as much as possible while medical assistance on the ground was coordinated with the airport.”
