Thiruvananthapuram

In a landmark moment for Kerala’s organ transplantation programme, a human organ was transported on a commercial airline for the first time in the state, with a donor kidney flown from Kannur to Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.

The kidney belonged to 17-year-old Ayona Monson, who died after sustaining critical injuries from a fall at her school in Payyavoor, Kannur district. The organ is set to be transplanted into a 27-year-old woman from Parasala.

The operation was coordinated by the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (K-SOTTO), which oversees organ donation and allocation in the state.

K-SOTTO Executive Director Dr Noble Gracious S.S. said the organ was allotted to a patient in Thiruvananthapuram late on Wednesday night, leaving a narrow window for transportation. “Using a helicopter was not feasible due to technical constraints, which posed a major challenge,” he explained.

With time running out, K-SOTTO approached IndiGo Airlines, which agreed to facilitate the transport. The airline provided seats on its commercial flight, while Dr Namitha, an organ transplant coordinator recently appointed at Kannur Medical College, volunteered to accompany the organ.

“This marks the first instance in Kerala where a commercial airline has been used to transport a human organ,” Dr Noble said. Traditionally, organs in the state are transported using naval aircraft, government-chartered helicopters, or road ambulances.

Dr Namitha said the organ retrieval was carried out at Aster MIMS Hospital in Kannur between 2 am and 5 am. “We reached the airport by 6 am. The coordination between the hospital staff and the airline was seamless,” she noted.

Although the flight from Kannur had a brief halt in Kochi, arrangements were made for the same aircraft to continue to Thiruvananthapuram. The organ container, despite its size, was safely accommodated inside the aircraft cabin with the assistance of the crew.

The flight landed in Thiruvananthapuram at around 10.45 am, after which the kidney was transported by ambulance to the Government Medical College for transplantation.

K-SOTTO officials said the donor’s other kidney was transplanted at MIMS Hospital in Kozhikode. The liver was sent to Meitra Hospital, Kozhikode, while the corneas were donated to the Government Medical College in the city.

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Ayona Monson had reportedly jumped from the third floor of her school building, sustaining severe head and lung injuries. She succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday night. Police have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances leading to the incident.