Baby girl born aboard Afghan evacuation flight named after plane’s call sign

• The baby girl was named ‘Reach’ after the plane’s call sign.
• During the flight, the mother went into labour and began having complications, says Air Mobility Command.
• The mother and baby were shifted to a nearby medical facility upon landing at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

A baby girl, born to an Afghan couple aboard an evacuation flight from Afghanistan this Saturday, was named ‘Reach’ after the plane’s call sign, Reach 828, Zee News reported Thursday.

The new life that came into existence in a military aircraft, C-17, created a spark of little pleasure amid the evacuation hustle at Hamid Karzai Airport, which began two weeks after the Taliban takeover of the country.

The news that the parents of the baby girl named her after the plane’s call sign was confirmed Wednesday by the head of US European Command. He told the media that the girl’s parents had spoken to the officials about naming her Reach.

On Saturday, after delivering the baby in the ‘cargo bay of the aircraft', the mother and baby girl were shifted to a nearby medical facility upon landing at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

The European Command’s statement said that the mother had gone into labour on the flight.

“During a flight from an Intermediate Staging Base in the Middle East, the mother went into labour and began having complications. The aircraft commander decided to descend in altitude to increase air pressure in the aircraft, which helped stabilise and save the mother's life," the Air Mobility Command said in a tweet.

"Upon landing, Airmen from the 86th MDG came aboard and delivered the child in the cargo bay of the aircraft. The baby girl and mother were transported to a nearby medical facility and are in good condition," they added.

Moreover, two other babies have been born to the parents evacuated from Afghanistan, at the US military hospital in Germany over the last week.