Kenya Airways to boost cargo capacity on New York route

November 01, 2019: As October 28 marked the first anniversary of Kenya Airways (KQ) flying non-stop to New York route, the carrier is eyeing growth of its cargo business on this route, reports Standard Media. 

The carrier, which launched directs flights to the JFK International Airport last year, has so far ferried 105,000 passengers on the route, translating to a cabin factor of 75 percent largely in line with what it had expected within the first year of commencing the flights.

Its cargo business has however not grown. The airline is planning to market the cargo business in the coming weeks.

“There is a good amount of cargo between the US and Africa. So far, we have managed to build small cargo business, with some of the clients being the US government, which has been sending cargo through Amsterdam but now is slowly shifting as well as some logistic companies that have been giving us some business. Being in the market is helping us build cargo volumes,” said KQ CEO Sebastian Mikosz. Effective December 31, he will be stepping down from the troubled state airline five months before the end of his three-year contract.

The airline will however not operate a freighter on the route but instead, use the bellies of the passenger planes.