The incident occurred on flight VN36 on January 6, the airline said. About eight hours after take-off, a German male passenger seated in 11F showed signs of deteriorating health and had difficulty breathing. Cabin crew immediately administered first aid and medical support in line with emergency procedures.
As the passenger’s condition did not improve, the flight crew decided to divert and make an emergency landing at Kolkata airport so he could receive prompt medical care. Vietnam Airlines’ representative in India coordinated with ground services and airport authorities to provide emergency assistance before transferring the passenger to hospital for further treatment.
After completing medical support procedures, flight VN36 resumed its journey and departed Kolkata at 5.30 am on January 7, local time.
Previously, the airline has also diverted or made emergency landings on several occasions to assist passengers with medical emergencies.
These included flight VN30 from Frankfurt to TPHCM, which made an emergency landing in Istanbul, Turkey, on September 17, 2025; flight VN837 on the Hanoi-Siem Reap route, which diverted to Danang on July 23, 2025; flight VN56 from Hanoi to the UK, which landed in Kolkata on July 6, 2025; and flight VN7569 from Hanoi to Nha Trang, which made an emergency landing in Danang on June 30, 2025 to provide urgent medical assistance to a passenger.
