Kenya Airways to New York

On October 29th, Kenya Airways joined the relatively small group of African airlines (the others being Ethiopian, South African Airways, Royal Air Maroc, and Cabo Verde Airlines) offering direct flights to the USA, with the launch of flights to New York.

With the airline having suffered losses over the past few years, the national carrier hopes that the daily flights will be one step to profitability.

The 15 hour Dreamliner flight from Nairobi to JFK was of course a major news event in Kenya, with both the departure and landing live streamed on Kenyan media websites.

Meanwhile Kenyan TV station ‘Citizen TV’ sent reporter Jeff Koinage to cover the launch, who sent back reports where he claimed that airline was “taking New York by storm.”

The Kenyan Tourist board additionally took out animated billboards in New York’s Times Square, coinciding with the route launch.

While the new route is a major milestone for the airline, not everyone is convinced it will work. News website Kahawa Tungu writes that the New York flights are not sustainable: “Everyone is showering praise to the new development, but has anyone paused to think how the cash strapped KQ will manage the trips?”