KQ To Increase New York Flights To Nine Per Week During Summer

Kenya Airways (KQ) has increased its weekly flights to New York City in the United States from seven to nine in a bid to cater for travel demand and boost tourism during the summer.

In a statement on Thursday night, KQ announced that two additional flights would be introduced beginning June 15, 2024, to September 28, 2024.

The airline noted that the move came following a partnership with the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) which will be marked through a roadshow next week in New York, Boston, and Toronto cities in the US.

“KQ has partnered with the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) to strategically position Kenya as a tourist destination in North America through a trade roadshow. The roadshow, scheduled to take place from 19th-21st March 2024 in New York, Boston, and Toronto, aims to showcase Kenya and stimulate travel demand for the country,” read the statement.

“To complement the growing appetite for travel to Kenya, Kenya Airways has introduced two (2) additional flights on the New York route between 15th June 2024 to 28th September 2024, covering the summer peak season.”

Kenya Airways said the two new flights introduced would also offer travellers in New York an addition of two trips a day (morning and afternoon) on Thursday and Saturday only.

Similarly, following the introduction of a direct route between New York and Nairobi in 2018, KQ says the new schedule will also provide guests with a ‘unique, convenient same-day arrival flight option where one can depart from Nairobi in the morning and arrive in New York in the afternoon.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife projections, the new move will boost international tourist arrivals by 825,000 annually. In 2023, the ministry says international tourist arrivals into Kenya hit 1.75 million in 2023, up from 1.48 million recorded in 2022.