Over 50 Kenya Airways (KQ) passengers were left stranded at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, on Tuesday night, December 17.
The passengers who were expected to have arrived in Nairobi later in the day were forced to stay at the airport for over six hours.
According to K24, some of the passengers narrated that they had already boarded the flight when the announcement was made, citing the excuse that the door could not close properly with a promise of an alternative plane.
The move according to the passengers was to avoid an incident that would most likely result in a crisis.
Read: I Am Alive, Cedric Isaac Shivonje, The Alleged KQ Stowaway Emerges
“We were at JFK in New York and the flight was supposed to leave at 1pm. We sat in the flight for about one-and-a-half hours when we were told that 58 people were required to leave, at about 3pm, the last person left,” recounted a passenger.
Apparently, KQ had promised an extra Sh50,000 for volunteers that were to alight together with food as compensation as they awaited for the next flight.
However, the passengers claim that they had to wait for about 10 hours before they were served food.
Read Also: More Flight Cancellations Loom As KQ Pilots Vow To Reject Planes
“We were told we would be given food but we went without any offer of food or water from 11am till 9pm, which is around the time we left,” said Grace Wacuka, a passenger.
This comes at a time the airline has been experiencing financial challenges and a streak of losses.
A most recent scandal detailed a stowaway who fell from a KQ bound flight in London, with controversies surrounding his identity.
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