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| The colorful picture delivered to Asiana Airlines' headquarters in Seoul. Courtesy of Asiana Airlines |
By Park Si-soo
Asiana Airlines recently received a colorful painting and a thank-you letter postmarked in the United States.
They were an expression of appreciation from a Korean girl, 8, whose life was saved last month thanks to an Asiana pilot's quick decision to make an emergency landing and the cooperation and patience of 470 passengers.
According to Asiana, the girl, surnamed Choi, who lives in the U.S., was on an Incheon-bound flight from New York with her mother on July 8. The girl began suffering severe abdominal pain and fever about 90 minutes after takeoff. A doctor on board said she needed hospital treatment immediately.
The captain decided to make an emergency landing at Anchorage International Airport in Alaska while seeking the cooperation of passengers. The plane landed and the girl was taken to hospital.
To make the unplanned landing, the plane had to dump 15 tons of fuel worth 20 million won ($16,480) ― an aviation rule for emergency landing.
The plane was delayed four hours before taking off for Incheon but none of the 470 passengers complained, according to Asiana. Instead they praised and applauded the captain and cabin crew after touching down at Incheon.
In the painting Choi wrote, "Thank you for saving my life. Thank you so much!"
In an attached letter, her father also expressed his gratitude.
"I owed you a lot," he wrote. "With the memory of love and support from so many people kept deep into my heart, I will do my best to nurture my daughter as a warm-hearted person who can make good contribution to society."
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