A baby born on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Manila has been named “EK” in honor of the airline’s two-letter IATA code.
Flight 322, operated by a Boeing 777-300ER (A6-EBL, per The Aviation Herald), was over the Gulf of Thailand when mom went into labor several weeks earlier than anticipated.
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Two nurses who happened to be on board helped deliver the baby in one of the plane’s lavatories. Flight attendants provided blankets to help clean the mom and baby. The baby was held under LED reading lamps were to keep him warm.
Mom was in good shape after the birth, but preemie baby EK remained in the hospital.
EK isn’t the first baby to be named after an IATA code. A newborn delivered in the restroom of a Gulf Air (GF) flight, also to Manila, was named George Francis.