Kenya Airways Increases Weekly Flights on Nairobi-New York Route

Kenya Airways (KQ) has increased the frequency of its direct flights to the United States to meet the rising demand for travel this festive season.

The national carrier will now operate five flights per week between Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi and JF Kennedy International Airport in New York, up from two weekly.

“We have increased our direct flights on the New York-Nairobi route to four times a week to allow more families to reconnect this festive season,” Kenya Airways said.

KQ has been struggling with low numbers on the route since November last year when it resumed operations following months of grounding occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic hit Kenya and other parts of the world, the airline was flying five times per week to the US.

The airline launched direct flights to New York in October 2018, cutting the journey to 15 hours on the long haul route tapped as part of efforts to revive its fortunes.

Kenya Airways had projected that the nonstop flights to the US would boost its annual revenues by more than 10 percent in 2019 and 2020.

Being the only East Africa airline operating direct flights to the US, KQ makes it easier for passengers from Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi to connect through Nairobi.