Africa-Press – Kenya. Kenya Airways (KQ) has increased its flight frequency to the United States of America to tap into the upcoming demand for summer air travel.
The national carrier will now fly daily to New York an increase from five times a week that had been occasioned by the low demand.
The increase comes at a time that KQ is struggling financially, forcing it to rely on the Treasury for bailouts to remain afloat.
To further exacerbate the airlines woes, the government recently announced it would stop funding the carrier.
Since January, the national carrier was forced to cut its flights to New York in a bid to reduce operational costs.
“Starting today (June 19th, 2023), fly daily to New York from Nairobi and experience this amazing city. Dive into the city’s rich history and culture by visiting the Metropolitan Museum, or indulge in world-class dining, shopping, and entertainment,” KQ said on its Twitter handle.
In 2018, KQ launched direct flights between New York and Nairobi, reducing connection flights between JFK Airport in the USA and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) via connecting flights in the Middle East and Europe.
However, the route was suspended in March 2020 due to Covid-19. Later, the flight resumed serving New York via Lomé starting in October 2020.
Then, KQ deployed a Boeing 787 Dreamliner with a capacity of 234 passengers.
The flight duration between the two cities is 15 hours eastbound and 14 hours westbound.
Competition for the US has been intense as international airlines angle for the slice.
The daily flights to the US begins at a time when Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest airline, has also increased the number of its flights on the destination by adding a route to Atlanta and resuming the New York route via Abidjan.
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