Kenya Airways to start Gatwick-Nairobi service

Kenya Airways is to start serving Nairobi from Gatwick this summer.

The new route starts on July 2 with three flights a week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

The flight duration will be approximately eight and a half hours, providing one of the fastest connections to Nairobi from the UK, according to the country’s tourist office.

The new route comes as British Airways raises frequency between Heathrow and Nairobi from five flights a week to a daily schedule on June 7, rising to 10 flights a week from July 14 and 11 from July 28.

BA adjusted its aircraft deployment in February from Boeing 787-8 aircraft to larger Airbus A350-1000 to accommodate a rise in UK tourists visiting Kenya.

The new Airbus flights can offer up to 184 extra seats per flight compared to the previous Boeing 787-8, an increase of 62%. 

UK passport holders can obtain an e-visa process, available online for $30 per person.