Vietnam Airlines flight VN33, a Boeing 787-9 flying from Ho Chi Minh City to Munich, diverted to Islamabad, Pakistan, in the early hours of November 1, 2026, after a German passenger had a seizure on board. A doctor traveling on the flight advised landing so the man could reach a medical facility, the airline said.
What Vietnam Airlines Says Happened
In its statement, the airline said cabin crew assisted the man and looked for medical help on board. The doctor examined him and judged that he needed urgent care, and the flight crew decided to divert.
The airline said it worked with its ground handler at the airport to prepare for the aircraft and the passenger. It described the diversion as a necessary decision to get him timely medical care.
The statement gives no name or age and no update on the man’s condition. Dan Tri’s English service reported that he was taken off the aircraft safely.
Some passengers missed onward connections, and Vietnam Airlines said it was working with other parties to support them. The statement does not say how many people were on board.
VN33, Not VN35
Vietnamese coverage split over the flight number. Tuoi Tre, VnExpress and Vietnam+ reported VN35, while Dan Tri and Thanh Nien reported VN33.
The airline’s own statement says VN33, and the tracking data agrees. FlightAware lists HVN33 leaving Ho Chi Minh City and marks it as diverted, while HVN35 is the Hanoi to Munich flight, and its latest completed trip reached Munich on October 31 with no diversion listed.
The date split has a simple cause. VN33 was scheduled to leave the gate at 11:45 p.m. on October 31, but FlightAware shows it pushing back at 12:17 a.m. and taking off at 12:31 a.m. local time on November 1.
FlightStats lists the aircraft as VN-A863 and records the diversion to Islamabad. FlightAware’s history for that registration shows the same legs.
What the Track Shows
FlightAware’s data shows the 787 crossing India and entering Pakistan at 36,000 feet. At about 3:43 a.m. Pakistan time, just over five hours after takeoff, it turned northeast at a point roughly 250 miles (400 km) southwest of Islamabad.
It began descending from 35,000 feet about 10 minutes later. The last point on that leg came at 3:58 a.m., at about 27,000 feet and roughly 120 miles (195 km) out, so FlightAware did not capture the landing itself. VnExpress put the diversion about six hours into the flight.
The jet took off again at 7:32 a.m., which caps the stop at about three and a half hours.
At the time of writing, 8:05 UTC on November 1, the onward leg was still in the air at 38,000 feet over Romania. That is 9:05 a.m. in Munich, nearly three hours past the 6:20 a.m. scheduled arrival.
Why Islamabad Was a Workable Stop
Vietnam Airlines has not said why the crew chose Islamabad International Airport. The geography shows how the option arose: the airport is about 2,650 miles (4,270 km) in a straight line from Ho Chi Minh City and about 3,250 miles (5,230 km) from Munich.
That is a little under halfway along a trip FlightAware shows taking just under 12 hours on recent nights. Size was not a constraint either: Wikipedia’s entry lists two parallel 12,000-foot (3,658 m) runways and bays for wide-body aircraft.
A usable diversion airport needs weather above landing minimums, the right approaches for the aircraft type, fuel and the capacity to handle passengers, as our explainer on how flight diversions work sets out. The airline listed refueling and clearance among the steps needed before the flight could continue.
Vietnam Airlines’ Other 2026 Diversions
The statement lists three earlier 2026 diversions. In January, VN36 from Frankfurt to Hanoi landed in Kolkata, India, after a German passenger had breathing difficulties, Tuoi Tre News reported.
On June 24, VN524, an A350 from Ho Chi Minh City to Shanghai, spent about 71 minutes in Hong Kong for an unwell passenger, Tuoi Tre News reported. On September 5, VN38 from Copenhagen diverted to Yangon, Myanmar, after a passenger gave birth on board.
The Munich route also drew attention in August for an unrelated reason. A different 787-9, VN-A867, struck its tail leaving Munich as VN34, and German investigators later reported that its brakes were applied during the takeoff roll.
Sources and references used for research and fact-checking.
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AeroCorner News is the aviation news desk of AeroCorner.com. It covers accidents and incidents, safety rulings, airline and airport disruption, and new aircraft. It works from primary sources such as the NTSB, FAA, EASA and the manufacturers' own announcements.