British Airways plane forced to make an emergency landing after a Nigerian woman gave birth in the plane

A plane flying from Nigeria to London had to make an emergency landing on a Spanish island when a woman gave birth in business class.

Ujunwa Eneh Ozeh, who turned 31 today, went into labour at 36,000 feet while flying from her home town of Abuja, Nigeria's capital, to London Heathrow, despite only being 26 weeks pregnant.

The pilot of the British Airways flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Palme de Mallorce, in the Balearic Islands, where the mother and baby, who has been called Michael, were rushed to the island's Son Espases hospital.

While Mrs Ozeh  and son is currently in the intensive care unit and will remain in hospital until August, around his original due date, so he can develop properly.

Mrs Ozeh said: 'I don't have any other option than to stay here on the island. My baby needs me to just hang in there for him until it is safe for him to come home with me.'

The mother-of-two was travelling with her one-year-old daughter Nnedinma and was planning to catch a connecting flight from London to Washington, USA, where she was taking the little girl for vacation.

Nnedinma was born in the United States but Mrs Ozeh is insistent she was not retuning the country to have Micheal.

She said: 'I was going for the summer, Michael was not due until August, there is no way I would be able to stay in the United States until August. I had a return ticket to Nigeria booked for May 28, so I intended to stay for a few weeks and then go home.'

BRITISH CITIZENSHIP?

It used to be the case that a baby born on board a British ship or aircraft would automatically get British citizenship.

This was based on a UN directive aimed at minimising the number of people in the world without a registered state.

However, the British Nationality Act 1981, stated that any such baby, born after January 1, 1983, would not be granted British citizenship unless at least one parent already held it.

Mrs Ozeh said: 'I just wasn't thinking that I could be in labour, I couldn't imagine it. When the doctor told me that the baby was coming I went into total shock, I can't really remember, I wasn't able to think clearly.'

Once the plane had touched down, mother and baby were raced to hospital where they are stable.

Her husband, Kaycee Ozeh, a local businessman in Nigeria, is now scurrying to get a visa so he can travel to be with his wife and children. Mrs Ozeh said she had never thought the baby would come so early, or would not have attempted travelling.

Ujunwa Ozeh and baby Michael was rushed to hospital after the plane landed on the island of Palma de Mallorca, pictured. 

She said: 'Right now, [Mr Ozeh] doesn't have a Spanish visa but I need him to come here. I need my husband because I don't know the next step to take.'