National carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) on Tuesday, October 29, marked one year since it started flying directly from Nairobi to US-based John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The airline was the first in East Africa to fly non-stop to New York and it has since its maiden flight on Sunday, October 28, 2018, flown at least 105,000 passengers across the new route.
During the year, KQ connected 34 African countries to the US. The top traffic sources from Africa have been Nigeria - 16.3 %, Uganda - 14.7 %, South Africa - 15 %, Tanzania - 11.7 % and Congo - 8%.
In 11 months, KQ has transported 530 tonnes of cargo from Kenya and 80 tonnes from the other African countries to New York.
The airline is also working with the Flower Council of Kenya and other regulatory bodies in Kenya and the US to open up the flower business which has shown huge potential.
