Crew asked for help: Emergency on the plane to Brussels – Ursula von der Leyen provides first aid

According to a report, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen provided emergency medical care to a fellow passenger on a flight from Zurich to Brussels. As the Swiss news portal “20 Minutes” reports, there was a medical emergency on a Swiss airline flight on Wednesday. The crew made an announcement asking fellow travelers with medical expertise for help – von der Leyen (CDU) responded.

The office of the top German politician confirmed the incident. On the way back to Brussels from von der Leyen’s travel delegation from the G-20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, one person needed medical help during the flight. “The president then provided assistance to the passenger in distress until we landed and medical staff took over,” said Arianna Podesta, deputy chief spokeswoman for the EU Commission. The airline confirmed a medical incident on the flight without providing further details. A fellow traveler who thought he recognized von der Leyen informed the news portal.

Ursula von der Leyen studied medicine. Before moving into politics over 20 years ago, she worked as an assistant doctor for several years in the 1980s and 1990s.