Couple forced to spend £15k on private jet after baby born 10 weeks early

26 February 2024 , 09:43

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Connor, Lucy and baby Lilli (Image: Lucy Housley/SWNS)

A British couple had to shell out £15,000 for a private jet home after they were stranded in Spain when their baby arrived 10 weeks early.

Lucy Housley, 25, and Connor Benyon, 29, were on a cruise when she unexpectedly went into labour and had an emergency c-section. Their daughter Lilli, who was born 10 weeks premature, spent two weeks in critical intensive care followed by another four weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit. When Lilli was finally well enough to fly home, the couple claim that the HM Passport Office wouldn't confirm Lilli's nationality to the British Consulate, preventing them from issuing an emergency passport.

The couple had to turn to a private jet company based in Cardiff, who managed to negotiate a deal between the British and Spanish border force officers allowing Lilli to travel on her birth certificate. The family finally made it home, with little Lilli travelling in style on the private jet.

Lucy, a technical administrator, from Bridgend, said: "Trying to make any headway with the passport office was just impossible - our mental health just plummeted. They didn't understand the severity of situation. "It felt surreal because we had so many let downs we didn't quite believe it to be true until we were on the plane and it had taken off. After being basically trapped in a foreign country for six weeks, landing in Cardiff was amazing - it was such a relief."

Connor and Lucy boarding the private jet to get home. (Lucy Housley / SWNS)

In April 2023, managing director Connor and his partner Lucy embarked on a family cruise. Lucy was in her third trimester but had been given the all-clear to travel by her doctor. However, just five days into their holiday, while the ship was docked in Palamos, near Girona, Lucy went into labour on April 10 2023.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

Lucy had an emergency c-section, which lasted two-and-a-half hours, and baby Lilli was born weighing just 2lb and 8oz on April 11. After four days, Lucy was discharged from the hospital and joined Connor in a nearby hotel. For six weeks, they lived out of a suitcase. During this time, they contacted the British Consulate and HM Passport Office to get Lilli's travel documents sorted. However, they claim they were unable to confirm her nationality.

Baby Lilli shortly after she was born (Lucy Housley/SWNS)

Baby Lilli in Neonatal Intensive Care (Lucy Housley/SWNS)

Lucy says they spent nearly four weeks making daily phone calls trying to sort out the issue, but it felt like they were going round in circles. Eventually, they reached out to a private jet company based in Cardiff to see if they could help get them home. They say the company arranged an emergency meeting between British and Spanish border force officers. This resulted in special permission for them to travel using just Lilli's birth certificate.

Their families helped cover the cost of the flight, and on May 24, they finally left Girona. They landed at Cardiff airport where Lucy's family were waiting to meet them on the runway. "When we were discharged from the hospital the nurses lined up in the corridor and clapped us out," she said. "It was bittersweet really. We ran into a lot of issues with the passport office. They played everything by the book and were very rigid.

"All we needed was them to confirm Lilli's nationality then the embassy could provide an emergency travel document so she could fly home. We both had to keep each other afloat, one day I'd be in the depths and it would be him the next day, we just had to keep each other sane. When we flew she was minus four weeks old so we couldn't have flown commercially anyway."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "When applying for a passport or Emergency Travel Document, all supporting documents that are requested should be submitted promptly to enable the application to be progressed as quickly as possible. It is longstanding government policy that we do not routinely comment on individual cases."

Josie Adnitt