A international flight made an emergency medical landing in JFK Wednesday morning with reports of sick passengers and employees.
ABC reported that Emirates Flight 203, which was an Airbus A380 with 521 passengers on board, landed at JFK from Dubai at 9:10 a.m. on Sept. 5. According to the report, two passengers on the plane were experiencing very high fevers and about 100 passengers were coughing non-stop.
Upon landing, local medical personnel came to the plane to evaluate the passengers. The plane was quarantined away from the terminals.
Ten people — three passengers and seven flight crew members — were rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center for treatment. Eight passengers were treated onsite for experiencing similar symptoms.
Emirates Airline tweeted out the following statement regarding the landing:
Statement: Emirates can confirm that about 10 passengers on #EK203 from Dubai to New York were taken ill. On arrival, as a precaution, they were attended to by local health authorities. All others will disembark shortly. The safety & care of our customers is our first priority.
— Emirates Airline (@emirates) September 5, 2018
Following the landing, the Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Customs and Border Protection were notified. Eric Phillips, a spokesman for Mayor de Blasio, tweeted that the symptoms are consistent with the flu. Medical officials are running tests to confirm the cause of the illness.
The remaining passengers were later cleared for travel by medical officials.
