From June, Kenya Airways (KQ) will increase its flight frequency from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport NBO to New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) from five  to seven days a week.

The airline’s CEO Sebastian Mikosz says KQ seeks to cash in on the US summer high season. “The New York route continues to be a strategic one for Kenya Airways, and  we are firmly committed to it as we gear up for the summer  season.”

KQ was granted a permit to operate direct flights to the US in September 2017. A year later, it made its maiden flight on October 28, making it the first airline to offer direct flights between the US and East Africa.

The airline reduced flights from seven to five a week following the launch, citing a decline in demand due to low travel in winter.

KQ has deployed a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to service the route.