The flight had just left Saudi Arabia when a woman on the flight reportedly told the crew she had left her child at the terminal. A passenger jet that had just left an airport in Saudi Arabia reportedly had to turn back after a passenger realized she left her baby at the airport last weekend. According to Gulf News, the Saudia flight from Jeddah to Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, turned back after mother told the crew she forgot her baby in the boarding area. After discussing it with flight controllers, the pilots turned back. It wasn't immediately clear why the woman forgot her child, but Newsweek reports it appears the two were reunited.<doc-sep>A Saudia flight en route to Kuala Lumpur from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia over the weekend was forced to return to the airport mid-flight after a woman on board came to the terrifying conclusion that she'd somehow left her baby in the terminal , according to a report by The Guardian. It's unclear exactly what led up to the mother's Home Alone-esque realization, but the crew alerted the pilot, who calmly explained to air traffic controllers the bizarre and unusual situation. In the hurried frenzy of commercial air travel, it's not hard to misplace your belongings as you're traipsing through security and getting ready to board. That's even more true if you're flying with kids. However, it's hard to believe you'd ever be so forgetful as to leave your baby in the terminal, board the plane, and take off before realizing your mistake, as one mother on a recent Malaysia-bound flight did. “May God be with us. Can we come back or what?” the pilot can be heard saying in a recording of the audio transmission that's since gone viral online. “This flight is requesting to come back… a passenger forgot her baby in the waiting area, the poor thing.” The controllers ask him to re-confirm the situation, to which he responds "We told you, a passenger left her baby in the terminal and refuses to continue the flight.” There are few details regarding how the mother managed to completely forget her live, human child behind as she presumably had plenty of time to get settled on board and, you know, look around to confirm she had her kid with her. It's rare for pilots to request to turn around unless it's a medical or mechanical emergency, but this one did, and was granted permission to turn around and return. No word on how mother and child are doing now after being reunited, but hopefully she'll be more careful next time. And if she really wants to redeem herself, maybe she'll bring along some ear plugs for fellow passengers. h/t The Guardian<doc-sep>The pilot told air traffic control operators that the woman refused to continue the flight without her child Plane Forced to Return to Airport After Mom Realizes She Left Her Baby Behind A recent flight was forced to turn around after takeoff when a passenger allegedly realized she’d left her baby at the airport. The Saudi Arabian Airlines plane had left Jeddah and was bound for Kuala Lumpur, when the woman had the startling realization that her child was still in the terminal’s boarding area, Gulf News reports. Get push notifications with news, features and more. A video uploaded to social media and shared by the news outlet shows air traffic controllers discussing the unusual situation with the plane’s pilot this weekend. “One passenger, she left her baby in the terminal, now she refuses to continue the flight,” the pilot says in the video, which includes both Arabic and English. Saudi Arabian Airlines did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. According to a translation by Gulf, the pilot asks the controller if he’s able to return to Jeddah. “May God be with us. Can we come back or what?” he allegedly asks. In response, an operator responds, “This flight is requesting to come back…a passenger forgot her baby in the waiting area, the poor thing.” An operator then relays the information to his colleagues, and allegedly asks the pilot to repeat the situation, which he does. “OK, head back to the gate. This is a totally new one for us!” the operator says.<doc-sep>
A video is going viral on social media after a woman refused to continue on a flight from Saudi Arabia after realizing she left her baby at the airport. The video shows air traffic controllers speaking about how to handle the incident, as certain protocol measurements are needed for a pilot to turn around mid-flight. The plane was heading to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, but ended up returning to King Abdul Aziz International Airport after the pilot requested that the mother be reunited with her child, reports Gulf News. “May God be with us. Can we come back or what?” the pilot is heard asking while an air traffic control operator speaks with a co-worker about what they should do. “This flight is requesting to come back...a passenger forgot her baby in the waiting area, the poor thing,” one party stated. After being asked again to explain the ordeal, the pilot replied, “We told you, a passenger left her baby in the terminal and refuses to continue the flight.” “Ok, head back to the gate,” the operator said, according to Gulf News, before admitting, “This is totally a new one for us.” This is not the first time a baby has been left at an airport, though the following incident was intentional. In February, a baby was abandoned at Tuscan International Airport inside a women’s restroom. She was a newborn and her mother left a handwritten note with the baby, which read, “Please help me. My mom had no idea she was pregnant. She is unable and unfit to take care of me. Please get me to the authorities so they can find a good home.” “I just want what is best for him and it is not me,” the note continued, switching to the mom’s perspective. “Please. Im sorry (sic).” Photo: Sam Panthaky/AFP/Getty Images