A non-stop trip covering a total of 13,713km will connect Kenya and the United States of America on Sunday for the first time in history.
The aeroplane will leave the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and land at the JF Kennedy Airport 14 hours later.
Describing the flight as a “game-changer”, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia on Tuesday said Kenya was set to benefit immensely from the direct flights.
“The flights are going to provide employment opportunities to Kenyans and see the number of tourists visiting the country go up,” Mr Macharia told journalists in his office.
According to the CS, the number of tourists will increase from 97,000 to 120,000 per year.
Mr Macharia said Kenya has been receiving visitors from the USA who were out to assess various aspects of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport before direct flights are allowed to the USA.
All the issues that they had raised for the last 10 years were cleared in July, and it is all systems go as the launch date approaches, he said.
The national carrier started selling tickets for the inaugural flight in January and in a few days the aeroplane was full.
Kenya first signed a pact with the USA regarding plans for the direct flights in 2008 when the two nations sealed the Bilateral Service Agreement.
“I am very much pleased with the commitment that Kenyans have shown so far,” he said.
During the trip, both the US and Kenya officials will keep an eye on any challenges that might arise during the lengthy flight and ensure that they are dealt with in future.
-nation.co.ke
