Emirates Invests $6M in Training to Prevent Diversions Due to In-Flight Medical Emergencies
Joe Cortez April 07, 2015
Emirates is investing in medical training to prevent costly diversions due to mid-flight emergencies.
To prevent costly flight diversions due to in-flight emergencies, Emirates will invest more money in medical training for cabin staff working flights. FirstPost.com reports the UAE flag carrier will spend over $6 million on training aimed at reducing the number of emergency landings.
Under the initiative, flight crew will go through a mandated training program required by the United Arab Emirates Civil Aviation Authority. In addition, cabin crew members are also trained to use life-saving equipment on the aircraft in the event of an emergency, while pilots are trained in advanced situations, such as choking and CPR.
The advanced training by Emirates is set with the hopes of alleviating two major problems the carrier faces. Not only should the cabin staff be able to alleviate minor situations midair, but also cut down on the need for emergency diversions on future flights.
“In 2013 and 2014, we diverted over 100 flights for medical emergencies, costing more than $12 million,” said Emirates COO Adel Al-Redha. “Unplanned en route diversion of a flight has its own challenges and logistics, and in a number of cases extended delays are experienced.”
In addition to the training for handling a crisis onboard, the training sessions teach the cabin crew to identify passengers that are potentially too ill to fly. Crew members are trained to look for symptoms and pass their concerns on to the captain. Through MedLink, the captain can receive advice on whether or not the symptoms are of concern, allowing cabin crew to determine whether or not a passenger is well enough to fly.
[Photo: Emirates]
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There was a time when TATL flights required their stewardesses to be nurses. That was long before my time, but I wonder how we got away from it? What does an emergency diversion cost the airline anyways... would a single landing pay for the additional salary of a dual-rolled nursing-flight attendant for the year?
I guess this is good for the airline and other passengers. Not certain it is good for sick passengers. It is far from clear that even with training cabin staff can determine when they can treat the sick passenger, or if it would be better for the passenger if there was a diversion.