Pilot faints mid-air after a violent thunderstorm

A pilot of Ryanair fainted while a plane was being diverted and had to be rushed to hospital upon landing.

The plane was flying from London Stansted to Palermo in Italy on Thursday evening but had to land 67 miles away in Trapani due to thunderstorms in the area.

The co-pilot then passed out near the airport and the captain was forced to land the plane himself.

A source told The Sun Online the first officer was “not able to function” and was taken to hospital after being examined by medical staff.

Ryanair confirmed the staff member “briefly fainted” as the plane was landing and was released from hospital after being assessed by doctors.

They added that the reason the flight was diverted was due to thunderstorms over Palermo not any issues with the crew.

Ryanair said in a statement: “The first officer on this flight briefly fainted while the aircraft was being landed by the captain at Trapani.

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“He was examined by local medical staff and taken to hospital, where he was examined and released shortly thereafter without suffering any ill effects whatsoever.”