Virgin Atlantic’s first flight to Kenya arrived in Nairobi this morning,

        welcomed by

the Vice President of Kenya. This is the first of the airline’s daily

        flights to the

region, which will bring in a quarter more visitors to the region in the

        first year of

operation, with an estimated economic benefit of $100m over the coming 12

months to the Kenyan economy with an additional impact of up to three times

        that

amount on the broader Kenyan community.  As Kenya is such an important

worldwide exporter Virgin Atlantic also aims to carry tens of millions of

        dollars

worth of Kenyan agricultural exports each year.

Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic, commented:

 

    “I am really pleased that Virgin Atlantic is now serving Nairobi, the

    airline’s fourth African destination which is not only an important

    city in its own right, but also the gateway for the whole of East

    Africa and the Indian Ocean.

 

    “Kenya is a wonderful country with much to offer visitors from the

    busy, vibrant capital city of Nairobi to the wealth of almost

    unbeatable game reserves and wildlife and world famous beach resorts

    like Mombasa.  I predict that its popularity will continue to grow,

    aided by Virgin Atlantic’s daily services which offer passengers more

    flexibility and value for money.

 

    “Virgin Atlantic is delighted to launch Nairobi as our 28th

    destination and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the

    Kenyan Government and the Kenyan people for their support.  The

    Kenyan Tourist Board has also played a key role in ensuring it was

    possible for Virgin Atlantic to begin its direct daily service so we

    are grateful for all of its help.”

 

Hon Dr.A.A. Moody Awori EGH, MP, Vice-President of Kenya, welcomed the

aircraft and said:

 

    “On behalf of the people of Kenya, I am delighted to welcome Virgin

    Atlantic and Sir Richard Branson. The new service will not only

    further boost Kenya’s links with the UK, which are already strong,

    but also contribute to an expanding Kenyan economy through greater

    visitor numbers. We look forward to many happy years together.”

 

Mike Higgins, Regional Manager Africa for Virgin Atlantic, commented:

 

    “The whole team and I are really proud to see our first flight arrive

    today and we look forward to offering Virgin Atlantic’s

    world-renowned service to passengers on the London-Nairobi route.

    Nairobi is a hub for the whole region and so our flight schedule will

    seamlessly connect with many flights to neighbouring countries like

    Uganda and Tanzania along with connections to the whole of East

    Africa. Additionally the flights will link up in London with Virgin

    Atlantic’s extensive services to ten key US gateways particularly New

    York and Washington.”

 

Virgin Atlantic Airways daily services will be operated by an Airbus

A340-300 aircraft with 240 seats onboard -34 Upper Class, 35 Premium

Economy and 171 Economy.

 

Flights from Nairobi will depart at 08:15 from Jomo Kenyatta International

Airport and will arrive at 14:50 into London Heathrow Airport. Return

flights will depart from Heathrow at 19:15 and will arrive in Nairobi the

following day at 06:05.

 

Virgin Atlantic’s new Upper Class Suite, consists of a reclining leather

seat for take off, a place to sit and eat a three course meal opposite your

partner, the longest fully flat bed in the world with a proper mattress for

sleeping on, a private onboard bar to drink at with your friends and a

private massage zone - all at a price thousands of pounds less than other

airlines’ First Class.  The Upper Class experience also includes a Drive

Thru Check In facility and the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow, the

restaurant style inflight Freedom menu and a state-of-the-art inflight

entertainment system.
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