Kenya Airways’ direct flight to NY takes off for the first time

Oct 30, 2018: Kenya Airways has begun direct flight services to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), making it the eighth African country to offer a direct US service. The airlines’ first ever-route to the United States will operate daily from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The service started after a long effort by Kenyan authorities for approval for non-stop flights to the United States. The US had previously prohibited non-stop commercial flights from Kenya because of security concerns, but those restrictions were lifted last year. 

The flight time on the 7,360-mile route will be 15 hours eastbound and 14 ½ hours on the return. The non-stop flight will shave hours off the New York-Nairobi journey, which previously required a connection at a hub in Europe, Africa or the Middle East.

Now, the New York customers will be able to connect to more than 40 onward African destinations via Kenya Airways’ hub in Nairobi. The route also gives Kenya Airways a prestigious service offering, which comes as the carrier tries to reverse several years of financial losses. 

Earlier this year, Ethiopian Airlines has launched new thrice-weekly nonstop flights between Chicago and Ethiopia. In another move, Royal Air Maroc (RAM) will debut the first nonstop flight from Miami to Casablanca, Morocco, on April 3, 2019.