Jet makes emergency landing in Tokyo for ailing flyer

An airliner traveling from Shanghai to New York on Tuesday made an emergency landing at Tokyo Narita International Airport after a passenger on board reported a life-threatening health problem.

Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines Flight MU587 was over the Sea of Okhotsk, west of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, when a passenger suddenly experienced an accelerated heartbeat and began coughing up blood.

Crew members immediately helped the passenger lie down and inhale oxygen before finding three doctors - one Chinese and two from the US - on board to help, said Chen Ying, the manager of the cabin.

"However, the physical condition of the passenger was not stable," she said. "In accordance with the principle of putting life first, we decided to divert the flight to get the passenger to hospital."

Accompanied by China Eastern staff, the passenger was sent to the hospital and improved after receiving treatment.

To ensure a safe landing, the crew released 45 metric tons of fuel in midair and informed the Tokyo airport to get prepared. The plane finally landed safely at 7:19 pm in Tokyo.

"It is a universally adopted method for airline companies to release fuel in the air before an emergency landing," said Li Lei, an industrial analyst with Minzu Securities.

"For the sake of safety, it is mandatory to keep the amount of fuel within a certain range before landing," he said.

In a similar incident, another flight, China Eastern Airlines MU551 from Shanghai to London, released 39 tons of fuel before landing at Beijing Capital International Airport to send an ill passenger to the hospital in March.

Tang Xiaofan contributed to this story.