Loganair has marked the 40th birthday of a pair of twins by gifting them each with two free tickets. What gives David and Lynsey Henderson a special connection to the Scottish regional carrier is the fact that one was born onboard a Loganair flight four decades ago. Meanwhile, the other entered the world shortly after it landed.

Rare circumstances

When a pair of twins are born, the passing of time can mean that they can be born on different days, even if only a few minutes or hours apart. Somewhat less likely, at one in two million according to the Jerusalem Post, is a pair of twins being born in different years, on December 31st and January 1st respectively.

However, even in these rare instances, they will likely be born in the same location. However, you cannot say the same for David and Lynsey Henderson, who came into the world some 40 miles apart on August 13th, 1982. The reason for this was the fact that their mother gave birth en route to hospital. While this, in itself, isn't exactly rare, the ambulance taking her there certainly was.

Indeed, rather than a conventional road vehicle, the ambulance in question was an adapted Britten-Norman Islander! The reason for their airborne flight was the fact that their mother entered labor four weeks early. This made it advisable for her to be transported by air from Tingwall Airport in the Shetland Islands to Aberdeen on the mainland, where more extensive medical facilities were available.

Loganair Britten-Norman Islander
Lynsey Henderson was delivered on a modified Britten-Norman Islander. Photo: Mark Harkin via Wikimedia Commons

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A happy anniversary

However, by the time they landed, Lynsey had already been delivered onboard by Dr Freshwater. Shortly after reaching the Scottish mainland, her brother David also came into the world. Following a precautionary hospital stay, the pair, along with parents Mandy and Adrian, went home to the Shetland Islands 10 days later.

While David and Lynsey aren't the only people to have been born on Loganair flights, the airline has been keen to celebrate the rare nature of having delivered twins in the air and on the ground. Having already celebrated the pair's 21st birthdays, the carrier also gifted them each a pair of free tickets earlier this week when they returned to Scotland from Norway. Loganair CEO Jonathan Hinkles stated:

"We have a long history of connecting communities for all kinds of travel requirements, including the unexpected ones. David and Lynsey are part of a small but elite club of babies born onboard with Loganair, and it was great to present them with a small token to mark their 40th birthday celebrations."

GettyImages-1241719411 Loganair ATR Getty
Loganair continues to provide hospital transport for patients in Scotland's more isolated island communities today. Photo: Getty Images

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How often are babies born inflight?

Earlier this year, Loganair celebrated its 60th birthday, having been founded in February 1962. During this time, the airline notes that it has supported "over 20 airborne childbirths." On a wider scale, Simple Flying noted last year that being born in the air happens to just 1 in 26 million passengers, and that there are reportedly only around 50 'skyborns' in the world at any given time.

Source: Jerusalem Post