Well this is proving to an eventful final leg back home.
All was going to plan and according to the moving map we were scheduled to get to Heathrow on time. Then it unravelled a bit. First came the PA asking if there were any doctors or medically trained people on board. About 20 minutes later the same request was made. Then the moving map betrayed that something serious was up.
Just as we crossed the border from India to Pakistan we made a reasonably sharp left hand turn (the map doesn't show how out of the way we went). Also our destination was now down as being Dubai and Arabic was one of the languages shown on the map. I knew from things I'd read that Dubai was used by Singapore Airlines for medical diversions. Twenty minutes had passed since we'd changed course and there was still no announcement from the flight deck – I'll be charitable and assume that we'd changed course as a precaution and that things hadn't been finalised.
Eventually the captain came on the PA to explain that we'd be stopping in Dubai so that the sick passenger could be transferred to a hospital for treatment. He said we'd probably be on the ground for an hour whilst this was sorted out and we re-fuelled.
In the end he proved to be spot in in how long we were on the ground at DXB. Unfortunately the combined affect of the diversion etc. was that we were no expected to land at LHR just after 10pm (three hours behind schedule). Obviously not ideal. The one positive I can think of is that as we took off from Dubai I saw the Burj Khalifa (aka the Burj Dubai) the tallest building in the world.
I now really looking forward to being tucked up in my bed and getting some sleep!
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