KENYA – Kenya Airways (KQ) has added two flights to its weekly schedule to New York in the United States of America (USA) in anticipation of pent-up demand.
The two flights will be distributed between Thursday and Saturday, with one in the morning and another in the afternoon.
Subsequently, KQ’s flights between the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and JFK Airport grew to nine.
This comes as the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) is expected to promote Kenya as a travel destination in North America, including New York and Boston, as well as Toronto in Canada, from March 19th to 21st.
“To complement the growing appetite for travel to Kenya, Kenya Airways has introduced two additional flights on the New York route between 15th June 2024 to 28th September 2024,” KQ stated.
Kenya has, over the past few months and years, been promoting the country globally through a series of campaigns to boost arrivals.
Data from the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife in 2023 showed that the number of tourists coming into Kenya grew to 1.75 million, an increase from 1.48 million in 2022.
The trend is expected to contribute to an additional 825,000 international tourists annually.
This expansion builds on KQ’s establishment of the direct New York-Nairobi route in 2018, which has since served as a conduit for business and tourism in East Africa.
KQ’s move follows the announcement in February of increased frequencies to five destinations, including two extra flights to New York in the United States of America.
The airline also noted that it will add flights to Eldoret and Maputo, Mozambique, amid growing demand for air travel.
Eldoret International Airport has resumed cargo flights
Meanwhile, the Eldoret International Airport has welcomed the first cargo flight, Astral Aviation, which arrived from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
The flight was received by Nandi County Governor Stephen Sang, Kenya Airport Authority (KAA) board Chairman Caleb Kositany, and KRA Corporate Board Chairman Anthony Mwaura.
KAA attributed the move to the laborious efforts pumped by the Authority, in collaboration with key aviation stakeholders and the Uasin Gishu County Government.
“After a year break, Eldoret International Airport has today resumed Cargoflights with Astral Aviation taking the lead,” KAA said.
“This development results from the collective efforts from KAA and Key aviation stakeholders including KAICC, KRA, and support of the County Government of Uasin Gishu.”
According to KAA, the airport consists of two warehouses that can handle over 100 tons of dry cargo.
The KAA chairman, Kositany, asserted that the reopening of cargo flights in the airport would significantly propel cargo traffic in the airport, which would in turn enhance connectivity, facilitate trade, create new business opportunities, and bolster economic development.
“Air cargo is an integral component of the aviation industry, we’ve therefore embarked on a strategy to improve cargo handling capacity within our network. We continue to embrace the public-private partnerships in the development of our projects,” he stated.
Furthermore, KAA has assured that the geographical location and climatic conditions in the airport will facilitate an ideal market for agribusinesses such as cut flowers, french beans, flowers, and avocados.
Liked this article? Subscribe to DealStreet Africa News, our regular email newsletter with the latest news, deals and insights from Africa’s business, economy, and more. SUBSCRIBE HERE
