A passenger died while boarding Kenya Airways (KQ) flight KQ612 from Nairobi to Mombasa after developing “breathing issues” on September 14, 2022, the airline confirmed in a Twitter post.
“The passenger was pronounced dead by medical personnel at JKIA (Jomo Kenyatta International Airport) while the aircraft was still on ground,” the airline said, adding that “JKIA Heath and Security agencies are currently handling the issue”.
Third passenger death in four weeks
This is the third death in about four weeks that the airline has reported after incidents involving two international flights and one domestic flight. However, there is no information to suggest that the flights were the cause of death in any of the cases.
First incident: Flight KQ003 JFK – NBO
Kenya Airways confirmed in a statement released on August 23, 2022, that a passenger found unresponsive aboard flight KQ003, operating from New York to Nairobi, had died.
The flight was diverted to Casablanca, Morocco for “a medical emergency after a passenger was taken ill,” the carried revealed. “On arrival in Casablanca, medical personnel at the airport found the passenger unresponsive and was confirmed to have passed away,” the airline added.
The incident took place on August 22, 2022, according to KQ’s statement which was also released on Twitter.
Second Incident: Flight KQ002 NBO – JFK
The second fatality was confirmed by the airline on September 2, 2022, when a “passenger was found to be unresponsive” on a scheduled flight from Nairobi to New York.
The airline confirmed in a statement that the incident had taken place after the plane had departed.
“Upon further examination, medical personnel on board confirmed that the passenger had passed away. The flight had departed Nairobi per schedule on Thursday, 1st September 2022, at 11:55 PM,” the airline explained.