A Kenyan passenger aboard one of KQ’s flights from New York to Nairobi passed away on Monday.

According to a statement issued by the airline, a medical emergency from the deceased, who was ill, had forced the pilots of flight KQ003 to divert the plane to Casablanca, Morocco.

The medical personnel at Morocco found the passenger unresponsive.

“We convey our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased,” KQ said.

“We sincerely apologize to our other guests for the inconvenience,” the carrier added. 

KQ003 was scheduled to land in Nairobi at 10:30 am on Monday but was delayed till 1900hrs.

According to a study titled Outcomes of Medical Emergencies on Commercial Airline Flights, medical emergencies, though rare, occur in the skies about once every 600 flights.  

“On the basis of our data, we estimate that 44,000 in-flight medical emergencies occur worldwide each year,” the study says.

Traveling physicians and other health care providers are often called on to aid ill passengers in the event of medical emergencies during commercial airline travel.

Most in-flight medical emergencies, according to the study, are related to syncope, respiratory symptoms, or gastrointestinal symptoms.

“Most in-flight medical emergencies were related to syncope, respiratory symptoms, or gastrointestinal symptoms, and a physician was frequently the responding medical volunteer,”.