On Monday, October 9, a flight departing from Nairobi en route to London faced a critical situation as a passenger fell seriously ill mid-flight.
The flight's captain, recognising the gravity of the situation, took swift action, declaring a medical emergency around 2:19 p.m.
This emergency prompted an immediate response from the flight crew, who contacted Air Traffic Control (ATC) to request a speedy and expedited emergency landing.
“The crew on board assisted by two medical doctors and a nurse provided medical assistance to the passenger as the Captain declared a medical emergency with Air Traffic Control (ATC) so that the flight could get an expedited landing for the passenger to receive further medical attention,” read part of the statement.
KQ confirmed that the plane executed a safe landing, with ground paramedics standing by to address the medical situation.
The affected passenger was promptly transported to a hospital for further medical attention.
The statement underscored that KQ prioritises the safety of both passengers and crew as its topmost concern.
Passenger aboard Kenya Airways dies midflight
A passenger from New York, USA passed away midflight on August 22, 2022,
under mysterious circumstances while travelling to Nairobi on a Kenya Airways flight.
According to the airline, the unidentified passenger on board KQ003, fell ill as the plane was approaching the beautiful continent of Africa.
In an attempt to save the passenger's life, the captain and first officer as well as crew members agreed to divert the plane to the nearest airport which was the Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, capital city of Morocco.
On arrival at the busiest airport in Morocco, medical personnel swiftly responded to the patient. Unfortunately, despite numerous attempts from the crew, the patient was unresponsive, and was confirmed to have passed away.
"We convey our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased and sincerely apologise to our other guests for the inconvenience," stated Kenya Airways.
The plane had been scheduled to arrive at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 10.30 am on Monday. However, due to the emergency and unforeseen death, it landed at around 7 pm the same day.