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Tengrinews.kz – An incident occurred on the Moscow–Astana flight on September 17 when a female passenger suddenly felt unwell during the flight.
She was helped by 28-year-old Astana resident Igor Popov. According to Igor, he was returning from a business trip when, about an hour before landing, a call for medical assistance was made over the cabin intercom.
"At first, I thought a medical professional would respond, as usually happens. But it turned out there were none on board. That’s when I realized I had to go," Igor shared.
The 48-year-old woman was in critical condition — she was disoriented, fainting, pale, and nauseated.
"I understood it didn’t look like a heart attack or stroke. I assumed her blood pressure had dropped severely," he said.
He asked the flight attendants to bring sweet tea, but the woman couldn't drink it. Her condition worsened rapidly.
"At one point she stopped breathing, her face went pale, no response. I kept calling her by name: ‘Zarema, stay with us, breathe.’ About 10 seconds later, she gasped as if her body made one last push. I began guiding her breathing, saying ‘repeat after me,’” Igor recalled.
He emphasized that his main task was not just monitoring her condition, but keeping her conscious.
“She kept trying to fall asleep. I kept her talking. I asked about her kids — she has three. I told her, ‘You’re still young, you need to live for your children. You haven’t seen their weddings yet. Let’s count to ten, tell me where you’re flying to,’” he added.
To keep her warm, he covered her with a blanket, rubbed her hands, and continued speaking with her until landing. Upon arrival, a paramedic boarded the plane, confirmed her low blood pressure, and recommended medical attention.
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As there was difficulty finding a wheelchair, Igor helped her reach passport control, where airport medics and her family took over. Her relatives from Temirtau thanked Igor for his help.
“Even strangers reached out and thanked me when they heard the story,” he said.
Igor clarified he’s not a doctor, though he does have basic medical training. He graduated from the South Kazakhstan Medical Academy with a degree in Public Health and now works in healthcare management.
“I mostly deal with paperwork and numbers, not clinical practice. But I acted logically and used what I had at hand,” he explained.
Sources confirmed the incident took place on September 17, and the woman received proper care after landing.
This is not the first time Kazakhstanis have assisted fellow passengers mid-flight.
