Kenya Airways Marks One Year since Launch of US Direct Flights, Flies 100,000 Passengers

Kenya Airways (KQ) on Tuesday marked one year since it launched direct flights to the United States. 

Speaking on Tuesday, KQ CEO Sebastian Mikosz indicated that the airline had executed 594 hauls between Nairobi and New York during the one-year period, flying at least 105,000 passengers in the process.

"The US and the American continent continue to be an essential piece of the puzzle in our network. There have been challenges in the last year but overall, the decision to launch our flights on this route has been rewarding," said Mikosz.

Mikosz said KQ has been consistent on the route, operating a daily flight during the peak season and five times weekly during the low season. 

“We have maintained consistency in our flights and going forward, we will be looking to increase the partnerships in order to fully realize the potential and gains of this investment. We are strategically positioned on Terminal 4 at JFK which has been critical to our success as a lone African carrier in that space,” Mikosz noted.

The US is among Kenya’s top tourist source markets, with nearly 100,000 American nationals visiting the country every year. 

In its first year of operation on the Nairobi-New York route, KQ connected 34 African countries to the US with top traffic sources being Nigeria (16.3 percent), Uganda (14.7 percent), South Africa (15 percent), Tanzania (11.7 percent) and Congo (8 percent).

The airline also ferried 530 tons of cargo from Kenya and 80 tons from other African countries to the New York.

To celebrate the milestone, Mikosz said KQ will award customers 30 percent discounts on tickets for destinations on its network.