Kenya Airways’ maiden inaugural direct flight to the United States is 80 percent booked, the national carrier has told Business Insider.

More than 7,000 travelers have also booked seats on Kenya Airways’ nonstop flights to New York ahead of the scheduled launch on October 28th. The bookings are spread across the year.

Kenya Airways opened ticket sales for the maiden flight to JFK International Airport in New York in January to allow passengers plan on their trip ahead of time.

A few weeks ago, KQ Chief Executive Officer Sebastian Mikosz had lamented low ticket sales but remained confident that sales would pick up from this month.

Already, the airline has sent teams to US cities to chase deals with travel agents amid competition from other airlines flying to Nairobi.

Kenya Airways has set aside two Dreamliner aircrafts for the daily flights on the New York route — a night flight from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and a mid-day one from New York.

Mikosz said a roundtrip Economy Class ticket will go for Sh89,000 while Business Class fliers will part with Sh257,634 roundtrip. The prices are subject to approval by the government.

The flight will depart JKIA in Nairobi daily at 11:25 pm and touch the ground at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York at 6:25 am the next day. A return flight will then leave New York at 12:25 pm the same day and touch the ground in Nairobi at 10:55 am the next day.

“The move will cut the flight time between the two cities by more than seven hours,” Mikosz said.

The plane will carry 234 passengers; 30 at the premium world class and 204 in the economy section. It will have four pilots, 12 flight attendants and 85 tonnes of fuel loaded one way.