At 10.45 tonight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) will take to the skies on a historic flight to New York whose impact may be felt for years.
This will be the first direct flight connecting the two countries since PanAmerican Airlines, which later went bankrupt, stopped flying to Kenya in 1988.
On this flight will be senior officials led by Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma, Kenya Airways chief executive Sebastian Mikosz and chairman Michael Joseph
The Boeing 787 dreamliner with a capacity of 234 passengers is scheduled to depart Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 10.25 pm on Sunday and touch down at the JF Kennedy International Airport in New York on Monday at around 1.30 pm East African Time (EAT)
The 15-hour flight will cut the long hours passengers have been spending connecting through different continents.
Dinner in NY, breakfast in NRB. The KQ direct flight will enable travelers to taste the authentic and diverse experiences Kenya has to offer. #NYC2Nairobi #ComeLivetheMagic #MagicalKenya #KQDirectFlight pic.twitter.com/LG1x6br9Q9
— Kenya Tourism Board (@MagicalKenya) October 28, 2018
The inaugural direct flights will see Kenya become the first East African country and the eighth in Africa to operate direct flights to the US.
In Africa, only South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Senegal and Morocco make direct flights to US.
The maiden flight comes barely two days after the High Court barred aviation workers who had vowed to go on a strike if the airline did not conclude their Collective Bargaining Agreement before Sunday.
#KQDirectFlight
KQ becomes the first airline to offer a non-stop flight from East Africa to the US, flying daily from Nairobi’s JKIA to New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport. @KenyaAirports @KenyaAirways https://t.co/dnR1wiGj9r— Brand Kenya Board (@BrandKenya) October 28, 2018
On Friday, Justice Byram Ongaya blocked the strike during the inaugural day pending hearing of their case.
Last week, Statehouse Spokesperson Kanze Dena, said the direct flights are aimed at opening the country to more investors, tourists and strengthening the partnership with Kenya and the East African Community.
The KQ direct flight will be flying daily from the JKIA to NY’s JFK International airport which will open doors for more travelers to #MagicalKenya #NYC2Nairobi #KQNBONYC #KQDirectFlight #ComeLivetheMagic pic.twitter.com/PQgpTHYBHc
— Kenya Tourism Board (@MagicalKenya) October 28, 2018
“The President will be excited to join Kenyans at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to launch the first direct flight from Africa to New York,” said Kanze Dena in a press briefing at State Lodge, Kakamega.
The highly publicised trip will see 468 passengers boarding the plane among them senior officials led by Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma, Kenya Airways chief executive Sebastian Mikosz and chairman Michael Joseph.
After the inauguration, Kenya Airways will be deploying a Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet with a capacity of 234 seats for their daily flight to New York city.