Kenya Airways’ inaugural nonstop flight to the United States was greeted in New York on Monday morning (29th October) with a ceremonial water-cannon salute and a red-carpet reception featuring champagne and red and white roses.

“It has been 14 hours and 50 minutes of excitement,” Foreign Secretary Monica Juma said in regard to the flight from Nairobi, which arrived at John F Kennedy International Airport at 7:11am, local time.