Kenya Airways CEO Sebastian Mikosz [Photo/businessdailyafrica.com]
The direct flight from Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to the United States is set to create over 150 jobs at the airport. On Thursday, Kenya Airways CEO Sebastian Mikosz said the direct flights from Kenya to the US will also create indirect jobs for its suppliers. He said the flights will see Kenya Airways employ more pilots and more crew to facilitate the functionality of the new flight route launched. “First of all [the direct flight] is going to create more jobs in Kenya Airways because we will definitely hire more pilots and more crew. That is going to be in the range of 150 people, just on a rough basis,” said Mr Mikosz as quoted by BusnessDailyAfrica. The national carrier also said the new flight route to the US will boost the country's economy as it would see tourism and trade rise between the two countries. The direct flight to the US from Kenya is not the cheapest but the most convenient alternative to travel to the leading Western hub. Mikosz expects that the direct travel to the US will boost KQ's revenue to upto a 10% increase in the 2019 financial year. Nairobi will therefore be a significant travel destination from the United States even after it (Nairobi) was listed the third best travel destination worldwide by TripAdvisor.