A QUICK-THINKING Jetstar pilot helped save a woman’s life after she suffered a major stroke on a flight from Brisbane to Hawaii.

The passenger, Maree, was travelling home with two best friends in February after a holiday to celebrate her 77th birthday.

But during the flight, her friends noticed Maree had become disoriented and one side of her face started drooping.

Realising Maree was in serious trouble, the cabin crew spoke to the Captain Peter Clements, who made the quick decision to divert flight JQ2 to Sydney airport, which was the closest airport.

The flight was met by paramedics who rushed Maree to Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital — and within 90 minutes of suffering the stroke at 43,000 feet, Maree was on the operating table, with doctors working to relieve a clot to save her life.

The hero captain, Peter Clements, said while diverting a flight was a major decision, it was a no-brainer.

“I knew just from my own experience that time is critical with a stroke victim,” he told 7 News.

“There’s no question it’s a big decision to divert a plane because when you’ve got 330-odd people down the back, and you’ve just flown 10 and a half hours, it’s a big monetary cost to the company — but that’s not a consideration.”

Jetstar said Maree has since made a full recovery and met with the crew on her flight, including Captain Clements and cabin crew member Ann Tamee, for the first time this week.

Jetstar’s chief medical pilot Jeremy Schmidt said medical staff praised Captain Clements and the crew.

“Our pilots are highly trained to deal with a range of unplanned scenarios on board, and the safety of our passengers and crew are always the top priority,” he told news.com.au.

“Within minutes of this medical emergency, Captain Clements had made the decision to divert to the closest airport to get immediate medical assistance for Maree.

“The RPA medical team has praised the quick actions of Captain Clements and the crew on board, saying they were critical in Maree’s chances of recovery.

“Our pilots showed a high level of skill and the ability to adapt quickly under pressure, which is a key part of our training.”

It’s difficult to put a figure on how many flights are diverted due to a medical emergency as airlines don’t have to report them.

Of the 194,000 flights Emirates operated in 2016, it said 60 were diverted due to a medical emergency.

Heart attacks, strokes, conditions related to glucose and diabetes, seizures and breathing difficulties were the most common conditions prompting the diversions, the airline told news.com.au.

It said diversions could cost anything between $64,000 to $780,000 each time it happened, depending on the situation.

A captain’s hesitation to make an emergency landing with a sick passenger on board can be fatal.

Last month, the family of a woman who died after suffering a massive pulmonary embolism flight said it was suing American Airlines, claiming flight crew repeatedly refused to make an emergency landing so she could get proper medical care.

Nurse Brittany Oswell, 25, was on a flight from Honolulu to Dallas with her husband when she passed out after becoming dizzy and disoriented.

A doctor who happened to be on board spoke three times to the flight crew to urge them to land the plane, but they refused, the family’s lawsuit claims.

Ms Oswell was taken to hospital after the plane landed as scheduled at Dallas-Fort Worth airport and died after three days on life support.

Her family is seeking damages from American Airlines for severe emotional stress, anxiety, grief and sorrow.