WHY IT RATES: Traveling between East Africa and New York City just got easier with Kenya Airways' non-stop flight between Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and JFK.-Jessica Zickefoose, TravelPulse Associate Editor
His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta today flagged off Kenya Airways' first ever non-stop flight from Nairobi at 22:25 to New York City arriving at 6:55 AM EST.
This marks a major milestone for Kenya Airways by becoming the first airline in East Africa to offer a non-stop direct flight from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Kenya to John F. Kennedy International Airport in the United States.
"The non-stop flights between Nairobi and New York City is set to provide a seamless experience for business and leisure travelers alike. It will open up Kenya and the region to the world to enjoy our hospitality and diverse culture," Kenyatta said at the JKIA.
He said the non-stop flight to the United States was a confidence boost to the economic well-being of the country and a positive signal for increased foreign direct investments.
The opening of the New York City destination completes an essential piece for Kenya Airways' network, cementing and strengthening its top position as one of the leading African carriers.
Speaking during the flag off, Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and CEO Sebastian Mikosz applauded this great milestone adding that it will act as a catalyst for attracting corporate and high-end tourism traffic around the world to Kenya and Africa. This will also boost the economic growth of not only Kenya but the African continent.
Kenya Airways 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, has a crew complement of four pilots and 11 flight attendants making it an exceptional operation.
The airline 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 11:25 PM arriving at JFK airport in New York at 6:25 AM the following day.
From New York, the route will depart at 12:00 PM landing at JKIA at 10:30 AM the following day. This convenient schedule will allow connections to and from over 40 African destinations through Kenya Airways hub in Nairobi.
The airline already serves Africa, Europe, Middle-East, Indian sub-continent and Asia.
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