Kenya Airways makes another landing with a new Boeing 777
Those in the know will tell you that being part of history is no mean feat. In a couple of days
By Alex Balimwikungu
Those in the know will tell you that being part of history is no mean feat. In a couple of days, it happened twice to me.
Just as a few days after being part of history, witnessing ‘my’ club break a 115-year record in the footballing circles, little did I know that I would still be among the lucky few to witness the Boeing 777, the first new generation of passenger airliners, land at Sheraton Hotel.
The huge Kenya Airways (KA) plane, the first of its kind by any airliner in Africa, hovered high up in the clouds, with a deafening noise. Even as it prepared to land, none of us moved an inch nor butted an eyelid.
We kept standing even as it closed in on us. As it drew closer we instead clapped louder and it came to a halt at exactly 7:30 p.m. — No Bermuda triangle myth here, but we were just watching the video clippings at the unveiling of the new Kenya Airways Boeing 777-200ER, which was shown on a large screen at the Sheraton poolside.
Emmanuel Okware, the KA country director in the only speech of the night said that come, Thursday May 27, the 322 seater aircraft would take to the air, thus fulfiling their first phase of fleet modernisation that started in 2001. Its maiden flights will be to Lagos, London, Amsterdam, Lusaka and Lilongwe
“The Boeing 777 has been designed to offer the passenger the most conformable and enjoyable journey, as it has more personal space, wider seats with a 2:3:2 seating arrangement for the business class and a 3:3:3 configuration for the economy class, with a more comfortable cushioning,†he told the crowd.
Okware’s words were not in vain because a closer look at the crowd revealed personalities who wouldn’t have problems acquiring visas to any destination in the world. And for a function of its magnitude business personalities and dignitaries mostly graced it.
The notables included, Magdalene Wambua, Kenyan high commissioner to Uganda, Onegi Obel, the Uganda Securities Exchange chairman, BOU’s Opi Okello, Gold Star’s Azim Tharani, Utl’s Hans Paulsen, Fred Masadde from Shell (U), Alain Young, the national Chairman Caltex, among others guests who wallowed in drink and eats accompanied by soothing Jazz.
The talk and immense knowledge of flight matters from the guests made me get the creepy feeling that perhaps I was the only one who had never flown by air among the crowd. What with terms like fuselage, flat bed, back rest, leg room which they referred to all night?
However, I too was reminded, of the word jet lag. One word I have grown up hearing from all who take long flights but never bothered to discover what it really meant.
Apparently, jet lag is the delayed physical effect of tiredness especially when there is a great difference in local times at which a flight begins and ends.
Okware says it has been every passenger’s nightmare but will come to end soon, as the Kenya Airways new Boeing 777 has a unique lighting system that combats jet lag.
“The lighting conditions simulate the time of day at one’s destination from the bright light of mid-day through the softer light of afternoon and dusk on to the dark of night,†he said.
And who said Kenya Airways is not the pride of Africa?
Those in the know will tell you that being part of history is no mean feat. In a couple of days, it happened twice to me.
Just as a few days after being part of history, witnessing ‘my’ club break a 115-year record in the footballing circles, little did I know that I would still be among the lucky few to witness the Boeing 777, the first new generation of passenger airliners, land at Sheraton Hotel.
The huge Kenya Airways (KA) plane, the first of its kind by any airliner in Africa, hovered high up in the clouds, with a deafening noise. Even as it prepared to land, none of us moved an inch nor butted an eyelid.
We kept standing even as it closed in on us. As it drew closer we instead clapped louder and it came to a halt at exactly 7:30 p.m. — No Bermuda triangle myth here, but we were just watching the video clippings at the unveiling of the new Kenya Airways Boeing 777-200ER, which was shown on a large screen at the Sheraton poolside.
Emmanuel Okware, the KA country director in the only speech of the night said that come, Thursday May 27, the 322 seater aircraft would take to the air, thus fulfiling their first phase of fleet modernisation that started in 2001. Its maiden flights will be to Lagos, London, Amsterdam, Lusaka and Lilongwe
“The Boeing 777 has been designed to offer the passenger the most conformable and enjoyable journey, as it has more personal space, wider seats with a 2:3:2 seating arrangement for the business class and a 3:3:3 configuration for the economy class, with a more comfortable cushioning,†he told the crowd.
Okware’s words were not in vain because a closer look at the crowd revealed personalities who wouldn’t have problems acquiring visas to any destination in the world. And for a function of its magnitude business personalities and dignitaries mostly graced it.
The notables included, Magdalene Wambua, Kenyan high commissioner to Uganda, Onegi Obel, the Uganda Securities Exchange chairman, BOU’s Opi Okello, Gold Star’s Azim Tharani, Utl’s Hans Paulsen, Fred Masadde from Shell (U), Alain Young, the national Chairman Caltex, among others guests who wallowed in drink and eats accompanied by soothing Jazz.
The talk and immense knowledge of flight matters from the guests made me get the creepy feeling that perhaps I was the only one who had never flown by air among the crowd. What with terms like fuselage, flat bed, back rest, leg room which they referred to all night?
However, I too was reminded, of the word jet lag. One word I have grown up hearing from all who take long flights but never bothered to discover what it really meant.
Apparently, jet lag is the delayed physical effect of tiredness especially when there is a great difference in local times at which a flight begins and ends.
Okware says it has been every passenger’s nightmare but will come to end soon, as the Kenya Airways new Boeing 777 has a unique lighting system that combats jet lag.
“The lighting conditions simulate the time of day at one’s destination from the bright light of mid-day through the softer light of afternoon and dusk on to the dark of night,†he said.
And who said Kenya Airways is not the pride of Africa?