NEW YORK: Emirates airlines has denied that a flight from Dubai, which was quarantined at in New York did not make a stop in Saudi Arabia.
False reports had claimed that the flight had stopped in the Kingdom.
In a statement to CNN, the airline said that the flight did not fly over or make a stop in the Kingdom.
Emirates flight 203, a double-deck Airbus A388 carrying about 500 passengers, landed shortly after 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT), according to an airline spokeswoman.
The spokeswoman said 10 passengers fell ill on the flight from Dubai to New York. New York media outlets had earlier put the number at about 100 passengers.
“Emirates can confirm that about 10 passengers on board flight EK203 from Dubai to New York were taken ill,” the spokeswoman said. “On arrival at JFK, as a precaution, they were immediately checked by local health authorities and those needing medical attention will be attended to.”
A later statement from the airline said three passengers and seven crew were transferred to hospital for medical care and that all passangers had disembarked from the aircraft.
Officials from the Port Authority Police Department and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had attended the scene, according to news station WNBC. The mayor’s office also did not respond to requests for comment.
Larry Cohen, who identified himself as one of the passengers aboard the plane, uploaded photos on Twitter showing dozens of police and emergency vehicles waiting outside the plane on the tarmac.
“All we have been told is that there are some sick passengers and that we need to remain on board,” Cohen told Reuters via Twitter messaging.
