A baby born aboard a Caribbean Airlines flight en route from Jamaica to New York could face an unusual legal question—citizenship determined by the aircraft’s exact location in the sky at the moment of birth.

The child was delivered mid-flight on Caribbean Airlines BW005 on Saturday as the aircraft approached John F. Kennedy International Airport, prompting medical personnel to meet the plane upon landing. Both mother and newborn were reported to be in stable condition.

While the airline confirmed the birth as a “medical event” handled by crew according to protocol, immigration attorney Brad Bernstein said the legal implications could be far more complex.

According to Bernstein, the baby’s citizenship depends entirely on where the aircraft was located at the precise moment of delivery. If the birth occurred within United States airspace, the child would automatically qualify for U.S. citizenship under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

However, if the birth happened outside U.S. airspace—even minutes earlier—the child would not be entitled to automatic citizenship, despite landing in New York.

Bernstein added that births over international waters can create even more uncertainty. In such cases, if the parents’ home country does not automatically confer citizenship, the child could potentially be left stateless, without immediate nationality or documentation.

Despite these complexities, the birth is expected to be officially recorded in New York, where the aircraft landed, meaning a birth certificate will likely be issued there.

Air traffic control recordings indicated the crew alerted authorities that a passenger had gone into labour shortly before landing, with the baby delivered before the aircraft touched down at JFK’s Terminal Four.

Caribbean Airlines said no emergency was declared during the flight and praised the crew’s response.

The identities of the mother and child have not been released.