KLM Confirms Hantavirus Patient Was Briefly on Board JNB Flight

KLM has confirmed that one of the Dutch nationals who died from hantavirus was briefly on board a KLM aircraft in Johannesburg on April 25, 2026, before being removed by the crew due to their medical condition.

The passenger boarded flight KL592 — also operated as a codeshare under AF8282, DL9560, and SK6855 — scheduled to depart Johannesburg for Amsterdam at 11:15 p.m. local time. After the crew decided the passenger was not fit to fly, the individual was removed from the aircraft before departure. The passenger sadly passed away in Johannesburg shortly after. KLM extended its condolences to the family.

The flight subsequently departed for the Netherlands as planned. As a precautionary measure, Dutch public health authority GGD Kennemerland is contacting all passengers who were on board the flight to inform them of the situation.

The Dutch national public health institute RIVM has indicated that the strain involved — the Andes variant of hantavirus — does show some indications of person-to-person transmission, though this appears to be extremely rare. Internationally, only a small number of such cases have ever been documented, and transmission requires very close physical contact.

KLM said it is cooperating fully with RIVM and GGD and following their guidance. Up-to-date information on the hantavirus situation is available on the RIVM website.