Kenya Airways Plans Major Product Overhaul Ahead of US Direct Flights

Kenya Airways is set to carry out a major overhaul of its products and services ahead of the scheduled maiden nonstop flight to the United States on October 28th.

The airline said the move aims at gaining a competitive edge and is expected to involve a number of initiatives such as modernization and diversification of catering services as well as launching of a Kenya-centric attire for the cabin crew.

KQ Chief Operating Officer Jan de Vegt says the overhaul aims at increasing the attractiveness of the airline to its clients in a bid to boost passenger uptake.

“We have to be a little bit more African. We are looking to place a local touch on our products and services,” de Vegt said.

Vegt said Kenya Airways hopes to obtain an edge on its regional competitors such as Ethiopia Airlines and RwandAir. Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala said the products and services overhaul will be key to attracting tourists from Canada and the US.

“We grew almost 18 percent to over 114,000 arrivals into the country and we expect that with the introduction of KQ flight daily, we should go to over 20 percent growth in that market,” Balala said.