Kenya Airways (KQ) has apologized to passengers whose
carrier KQ 003 en route to Nairobi kept stranded for more than six hours at the
John F. Kennedy international Airport in New York, USA.
The airline said in a release seen by News 9 Kenya that the Tuesday
incident saw a technical door defect force it to restrict the number of
passengers, in line with international safety measures.
“Upon request, 58 of our guests volunteered to disembark the
aircraft in order for the flight to proceed. All the affected guests were
rebooked on the next available KQ flight as well as alternative flights from
New York,” said the company.
KQ says that the affected passengers were compensated accordingly,
given meals and hotel accommodation.
“We apologize for this inconvenience and greatly appreciate
our guest for their valued cooperation.”
It is just one year since the airline started its operations
to US, and much has been surrounding it.
The company started its direct flight to US in October 2019,
making it the leading airline among East African carriers.
“This is an exciting moment for us. It fits within our
strategy to attract corporate and high-end tourism traffic from the world to
Kenya and Africa. We are honoured to contribute to the economic growth of Kenya
and East Africa.” said Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and CEO Sebastian
Mikosz, during the launch of the first flight on October 29, 2018.