Canada claims baby born in plane

OTTAWA, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- A baby born to a Ugandan woman while on an international flight over Canada is the first airborne newborn ever granted Canadian citizenship, officials say.

The 6-pound baby, named Sasha, was delivered while aboard a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Boston on New Year's Eve, the Ottawa Citizen reported Wednesday. The mother, whose name wasn't released, went into labor about 6 hours into the 8-hour flight, giving birth in Canadian airspace.

Alykhan Velshi, a spokesman for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, said under Canadian law almost anyone born in the country is a Canadian citizen and that a legal review concludes that includes those born directly above Canadian soil.

"Our government believes that Canadian territory -- and, as a result, the full reach of Canadian sovereignty -- extends to our airspace," Velshi said. "This means that a child born in Canadian airspace is a Canadian citizen."