The kidney went to Paris instead of Belfast

A kidney taken from a donor in Newcastle in England ended up in Paris instead of its intended destination at a hospital in Belfast.

UK Transplant which was responsible for the transportation admitted a mistake had been made but said the organ was subsequently put on a flight for Northern Ireland.

The kidney, taken from a person who died on Wednesday night, was removed at a hospital in Newcastle.

It should have been despatched on an early morning flight for Belfast, but a mistake was made and it went to Paris.

The kidney was then put onto another flight for Belfast, arriving at 1100 BST on Thursday.

A spokesperson for UK Transplant said the donated kidney remained suitable for transplant for up to 30 hours.

Direct flights

The organ reached Belfast City Hospital within that time and is being tested for a suitable recipient.

The ground services company at Newcastle Airport, Servisair, said it had contacted the airline, FlyBE, who arranged a special flight directly from Paris to Belfast to deliver the kidney. It was collected safely by hospital staff on arrival.

In a statement, Servisair added: "Servisair takes this incident very seriously and has instigated an immediate and thorough investigation and will act upon its findings."

A spokesperson for UK Transplant said if the kidney was not suitable for any local patient, it would be transported immediately to another hospital, where doctors would once again try to cross-match it.

It said that was in keeping with standard procedure.