Daily flights from Kenya Airways to New York have resumed

Kenya Airways (KQ) has resumed daily flights to New York in an effort to take advantage of the route’s rising demand for air travel.

The carrier had increased the flight frequency on the route to five times per week from three last year in December, citing high passenger bookings.

The increased demand is a good sign for the tourist industry, as the US continues to be the largest foreign source market, accounting for 16% of the 870,465 visitors to the nation in 2016.

The airline has also increased frequency on some routes, including Paris, where daily flights have replaced five-weekly flights, Madagascar, where weekly flights have replaced seven, Amsterdam, where weekly flights have replaced four, Johannesburg, where weekly flights have replaced four, and London, where weekly flights have replaced twelve.

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, KQ has struggled with varying demand on the US route, which is why flight frequencies have changed.

“The network enhancement is routine and is informed by the return to air travel as the aviation industry recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic and in support of the tourism sector in Kenya,” said the airline.

In an effort to turn around its fortunes, Kenya Airways launched direct flights in October 2018 from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to JF Kennedy International Airport in New York.

However, since it started operating again after being grounded for months due to the Covid-19 outbreak, it has struggled with low numbers on the route.

With this service, the airline is able to gain from connecting passengers traveling through JKIA from other African cities that don’t have direct access to the largest economy in the world.