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.
Comments (11)
No mention of the better managed Ethiopian Airline that has for decades maintained daily departures from DC, and recently New York, with no celebrations. Honest commitment and hard work.
You on the wrong article, Buddy.
@imkgoogo, are you talking about the killer Ethiopian Airline?
Really, figures that high?
105,000÷365=to about 290 passengers Round trip per day; meaning about 145 One way per day.
How profitable was the route? That is the only figure that matters.
An average of 107 passengers per flight. More vacant seats than passengers.
With an “ask yourself what you can do for your country, not what your country can do for you” attitude, l shall continue to fly KQ, poor or good services. I have on 2 occasions asked flight attendants to put smiles on their faces and stop f wearing stone faces......helping with customer service.
Right there with you Mucang'ang'a. Will be flying with them for the first time this Dec and will be in the future. Hard for them to smile while their counterparts are making bank.
180 passengers per flight I assume capacity per flight is 300... how has it progressed month over month..... good job you will get there
The food was palatable tasty pilau compared to the second part of my trip when I had to board Turkish airlines.Cowpeas on couscous and dates for dessert seriously it is time passengers were allowed to bring their own meals on board.Those of you taking this direct flight seating that long and not having to use the bathroom would be a challenge.I avoid airplane bathrooms like the plaque