In the wee hours of October 22, at the dizzying height of 36,000 feet, the passenger cabin of the Toronto bound flight AI 187 was turned into a makeshift delivery room for a truly miraculous birth.

The man who beat all the odds and made the unique delivery possible was 45-year-old paediatrician Dr Balvinder Singh Ahuja, who rushed to the aid of eight-month pregnant Kuljeet Kaur, when it was announced mid-flight that she was in labour.

"The only medical equipment on board was a first-aid box. We used a pair of scissors, which we sterilised with some Scotch. Luckily, the crewmembers also found some injections, which we used during delivery," Ahuja said.