HIGH-FLYING BABIES

Monday March 29, 1999 12:00 AM EST

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Congratulations to the three pediatricians, the surgeon and the specialist who were able to deliver twins three months early aboard a flight from London to Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia. The tiny boy and girl weighed only 2.2 pounds when they were born in the galley of the plane, and the pediatricians used the airliner's oxygen equipment to keep the kids going for the 40 minutes it took the airliner to be diverted to Cyprus, where a hospital crew took over. Doctors say the children were lucky to have the specialists aboard; very often premature babies (like these) have breathing problems, and the flight crew could not have resuscitated them by themselves. The twins were born Feb. 28, but the story has only now surfaced, thanks to a news article calling for better medical facilities on board airliners.