By Dipo Olowookere
One of the best airline operators in Africa, Kenya Airways, has begun a non-stop flight from Nairobi to New York, becoming the first airline to carry out flight operations between East Africa and the United States.
Already, the airline operator has started selling tickets for the inaugural flight scheduled for October 28th this year.
Kenya Airways at the moment serves Africa, Europe, Middle-East, Indian sub-continent and Asia. The opening of the US destination completes an essential piece for Kenya Airways’ network, cementing its position as one of the leading African carriers.
With over 40 American multinationals located in Nairobi and many more across Africa, the launch of daily flights is expected to further spur trade between America and Africa.
The management of Kenya Airways said the airline will offer its customers a unique travel experience between two great gateways. It will be the fastest connection from East Africa to New York, with a 15-hour duration eastbound and 14 hours westbound.
The ultra-long-haul flight, unique to Kenya Airways network, will require 4 Pilots and 12 Flight attendants as well as 85 tons of fuel each way, making it an exceptional operation.
The airline disclosed that it will operate its state of the art Boeing 787 Dreamliner with a capacity of 234 passengers.
The flight will depart every day from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport hub in Nairobi at 23:25 arriving at JFK airport in New York at 06:25 the following day. From New-York it will depart at 12:25 landing at JKIA at 10:55 the following day. Its duration will be 15 hours east bound and 14 hours west bound.
This convenient schedule will allow connections to and from over 40 African destinations through Kenya Airways hub in Nairobi, it said.
Speaking on the development, Group Managing Director and CEO of Kenya Airways, Mr Sebastian Mikosz, stated that, “This is an exciting moment for us. It fits within our strategy to attract corporate and high-end tourism traffic from the world to Kenya and Africa. We are honoured to contribute to the economic growth of Kenya and East Africa.”
