Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ), is set to resume daily flights to New York beginning June. The airline began the direct flights in October 2018.
Initially, Kenya Airways made daily trips to New York after it was authorized to make direct flights, but the airline gradually reduced the trips to five times a week. The announcement was made by Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and CEO Sebastian Mikosz.
“The New York route continues to be a strategic route for KQ and as an airline, we are firmly committed to it as we gear up for summer 2019 season, which is a high-flying season,” KQ said in a statement, reported AllAfrica.
The airline said increasing the frequency of flights to New York from five days a week to seven days will open more opportunities for travelers to take advantage of this route during this high season.
Mikosz said the airline had entered into a codeshare agreement with Delta Airlines to enable travelers to connect from New York to other surrounding cities after using the direct flight from Nairobi. It is expected that the agreement will open seamless travel in the US and Canada.
“As part of our commitment to the New York route, we are proud to be a part of this partnership that will open up opportunities for our customers to access more destinations in North America through the John F Kennedy Airport,” Mikosz said.
The arrangement will enable both business and leisure travelers to enjoy greater connectivity and efficiency in 11 US cities and 4 Canadian cities. In the US travelers will enjoy connectivity to Chicago, Texas, Colorado, Orland and Miami in Florida. The others are Raleigh Durham and Charlotte in North Carolina, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Missouri. In Canada, KQ travelers will enjoy connectivity to Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Edmonton.
The codeshare agreement is reportedly in line with Kenya Airways’ broader strategy to assert its presence and expand connectivity across Africa while opening opportunities for tourism, trade, and investment.
