Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ), is celebrating five years since introducing direct flights to New York. The airline links Nairobi to New York from its its hub at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The inaugural flight between Nairobi and New York was on 28th October 2018. Since then, over 300,000 passengers and 6,000 tonnes of cargo on 1,700 flights have been airlifted, covering approximately 72,000 kilometres.
The expanded codeshare partnership between Kenya Airways and Delta Airlines now offers customers additional travel options within the U.S. and increased flying opportunities within Africa. This expands customers’ travel options to more 31 destinations in Africa and 57 cities across the U.S. and Canada.
Commenting on the anniversary, Kenya Airways Group Managing Director, and CEO Allan Kilavuka “It has been an incredible 5 years of connecting our guests between Nairobi and New York. This route is of paramount importance to Kenya Airways as it serves as the fastest and most vital connection for our guests within the travel and tourism industry, the business community, and governments of both
countries. We look forward to the continuation of providing convenient onward connections for our guests to various destinations in Africa and the U.S. and actively contributing to the socio-economic development of Kenya and the broader African continent.”
The Nairobi – New York route is strategic for Kenya as it provides the East Africa region a gateway to the United States of America and the greater North America region for social and economic growth through trade, education, medical, sports, and leisure travel. The New York –Nairobi route in turn has opened the East Africa region for tourism, trade and investments.