A technical defect with one of the doors on Tuesday is what resulted in at least 58 passengers disembarking a Kenya Airways (KQ) aircraft in New York, leaving them stranded for several hours at the JFK International Airport.
The travelers had booked the KQ flight to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi but were forced to stay at JFK International Airport overnight.
The passengers already on board when it was announcement that there was a problem with the aircraft’s door and could not close properly.
The announcer asked some passengers (volunteers) to alight to avoid incidents, with KQ promising them an alternative flight, an extra Sh50,000 ($500) and food as they waited for another plane.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, KQ said that the affected passengers were compensated and re-booked to other alternative flights from New York.
“A technical defect with one of the doors on our aircraft prior to departure necessitated a restriction in the number of passengers we could carry aboard our flight, in compliance with global safety procedures. Upon request, 58 of our guests volunteered to disembark the aircraft in order for the flight to proceed,” KQ said in a statement on Wednesday.
ALTERNATIVE FLIGHTS
“All the affected guests were rebooked on the next available KQ flight as well as alternative flights from New York, all of which are scheduled to leave today, December 18, 2019. The affected guests were also provided with meals and/or hotel accommodation to cater for the time until the departure of their respective flights,” the national carrier further explained.
The incident comes weeks after the troubled national carrier celebrated one year since the launch of nonstop flights between Nairobi and New York.
In June this year, a Kenyan man fell off a Kenya Airways plane moments before it landed at London’s Heathrow Airport.
In February this year, two Kenya Airways planes collided while undergoing maintenance at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.
No injuries were reported during the incident.
