Singer Deborah Cox 'shaken up' after three-hour delay on SAA flight

Canadian R&B sensation Deborah Cox has slammed SA Airways (SAA) for being of "no help" after a three-hour flight delay following a trip to Ghana for a music festival.

Cox used her social media to express disappointment at the national carrier's handling of the problem. She accused SAA of not taking the safety of passengers into account when it insisted on flying a damaged plane, which ultimately had to turn back.

SAA spokesman Tlali Tlali said flight SA209, travelling from Johannesburg to Washington DC in the US via Accra, Ghana, experienced a technical problem and had to make a stop during the night.

"Whilst on the ground in Accra, the flight was delayed for approximately three hours after an aircraft door was damaged by a catering truck ... The aircraft door was fixed, inspected and found to be in working order to operate the flight," said Tlali.

Cox said her attempts to get assistance from the airline were unsuccessful. "I have a business to take care of. They have been no help. No answers. No follow up … I'm still shaken up," she tweeted.

She also posted the drama on Instagram Stories, which was shared by a Twitter user, claiming there was a fire in the cockpit.

But Tlali denied this, saying alternative arrangements were made for passengers.

"The incident has had a knock-on effect on the flight SA210 from Washington DC to Johannesburg via Accra. Our crew in the United States assisted passengers who needed to travel and could not afford to wait for the replacement flight to reach Washington DC," he said.

The delay was not the only drama that Cox experienced on her trip. SowetanLIVE reported that her luggage was left behind in the US on her flight to Ghana last week - and was only delivered to her two days after her arrival.