Kenya Airways Increases US Direct Flights After Inking Deal With Govt

National airline, Kenya Airways (KQ) on Friday, March 15 announced an increase in frequency for its Nairobi to New York, United States (US) direct flights by adding two additional flights to the weekly schedule.

The move came after the airline partnered with the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) to strategically position Kenya as a tourist destination in North America through a trade roadshow.

The roadshow, scheduled to take place from March 19-21, 2024 in New York and Boston in the US, and Toronto in Canada, aims to showcase Kenya and stimulate travel demand for the country. 

Aircraft at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, USA. /NEW YORK POST

"To complement the growing appetite for travel to Kenya, Kenya Airways has introduced two (2) additional flights on the New York route between June 15, 2024 and September 28, 2024, covering the summer peak season.

"This move brings the number of weekly flights to nine (9) with Thursday and Saturday providing guests with the option of two flights (morning and afternoon) out of New York," a statement by the airline sent to Viral Tea read in part.

In addition to the direct flight advantage, the new schedule also offers guests a unique, convenient same-day arrival flight option (morning departure from Nairobi and afternoon arrival in New York).

According to the new schedule, flight number KQ003 leaves New York for Nairobi at 1.45 pm ET (Eastern Time) every day and arrives at 10.30 am +1, local time the following morning.

However, two additional flights have been added for Thursday and Saturday, with KQ005 leaving New York at 8.00 pm ET and arriving in Nairobi at 4.45 pm local time the next day.

For the Nairobi to New York trip, KQ002 leaves Nairobi every day at 11.35 pm local time and arrives in New York at 7.35 am ET the following day.

Two more flights scheduled for Thursday and Saturday will see KQ004 leave Nairobi at 8.45 am local time and arrive in New York at 4.45 pm ET.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, international tourist arrivals into Kenya hit 1.75 million in 2023, up from 1.48 million recorded in 2022, signalling increased demand which is expected to boost international tourist arrivals by 825,000 annually. 

Kenya Airways introduced the direct route between New York and Nairobi in 2018, providing a gateway into East Africa and opening up the region for business and leisure travel.

On Friday, February 23, KQ announced plans to increase the frequency of its New York flights as well as flights to Paris, France from July 5, 2024, with two additional weekly flights.

Operating on Fridays and Sundays, these additional flights cater to the extra demand expected during the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games.

Furthermore, the airline signed a series of codesharing agreements with other global airlines, among them Vietnam Airlines, allowing customers of each airline to book through each other’s platforms and travel internationally on a single ticket.