A Jet2 flight had to make an emergency landing in Portugal after the pilot fell ill at the controls on Sunday.
The flight, which was on its way to Maderia from Manchester, had to divert to Porto due to an “onboard medical situation”, the airline confirmed.
According to a report, which Jet2 did not confirm, the other pilot was joined in the cabin by a passenger – said to be an off duty Jet2 pilot – who helped land the plane.
Alarms were raised at around 10.20am local time in Portugal and a runway was closed for half an hour until 11am so the emergency landing could take place, local media has reported.
The MailOnline has quoted one of the passengers, who said: “They made the announcement that there had been an incident on the flight deck and another Jet2 pilot who happened to be on holiday came forward from the back of the plane.”
Nicholas Banks added: “He offered up his services to the crew and went into the cabin. He didn’t come out until he helped the pilot off the plane when we landed.
“The original pilot was wheeled off in a wheelchair with an oxygen mask but we couldn’t really see. The crew did a great job. I was quite relaxed because of the spare pilot and that there was a co-pilot.”
Another passenger, Shannon Chapman said it was “an unfortunate circumstance that has been really well managed”.
She added that the passengers were kept informed and have been really well looked after.
A Jet2 spokeswoman said: “Flight LS765 from Manchester to Funchal diverted to Porto as a precautionary measure this morning, due to one of the pilots feeling unwell.
“A standby aircraft and replacement crew have been flown to Porto so that we can get customers on their way to Funchal as soon as possible.”