Medical emergency on KQ flight from Nairobi to London as passenger is taken ill

In a statement released by the national carrier, KQ100 flight operating between Kenya and England sent the emergency, even as crew and medical doctors on board helped the passenger.

"The crew on board assisted by two doctors and a nurse provided medical assistance to the passenger as the captain declared a medical emergency with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) so that the flight could get an expedited landing  for the passenger to receive further medical attention," KQ said in the statement.

The carrier further said upon the request, the aircraft landed safely and the paramedics who were already on standby immediately took the passenger to hospital for further medical assistance.

"The safety of our crew and customers is our number one priority," KQ added. 

Kenya Airways has been on high alert regarding medical emergencies aboard its flights, especially after two passengers died in a span of two weeks on different flights from Nairobi to New York in 2022.

In the first incident, a KQ flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Casablanca, Morocco, when a passenger was taken ill. 

Medics at the Casablanca Airport tried to help the passenger but it was determined that the passenger had died.

Two weeks later, a passenger on another KQ flight from Nairobi to New York was declared dead when they were found unresponsive upon touch down.