KQ2 distance and great-circle path
KQ2 covers 11,837 km, or 7,355 miles. That makes it an ultra-long-haul flight, near the limit of what most twinjets can fly non-stop. Of the 439 routes we track, it ranks 33 by distance.
The plane leaves Nairobi heading north-west. On the map above, the line looks curved. That is normal. The shortest path over a round planet never looks straight on a flat screen. Our guide explains how the NBO-JFK route appears on a tracker map.
Why KQ2 block time differs from cruise time
The schedule allows 14.9 hours from gate to gate. That works out to about 794 km/h. A Boeing 787-8 cruises faster than that. The gap is taxi time, climbing, descending and holding.
Flying west, this route pushes against the wind. The trip back east is usually shorter, even though the distance is the same. See how timing changes the trip in our red-eye flight guide.
Can the Boeing 787-8 comfortably fly KQ2?
Yes. The route uses roughly 87% of what a Boeing 787-8 can fly. On a windy day the airline may carry less cargo to save fuel. Flights this close to the limit are the ones that sometimes make a fuel stop. The full numbers are on our aircraft page for the Boeing 787-8.
What to know about KQ2
- Time change: you land 7 hours behind the time you left. That is enough to cause jet lag. Here is how pilots handle it.
- Crosses the equator: you swap seasons between takeoff and landing.
- High airport at the start: NBO sits 5,330 ft up. Thin air means a longer takeoff run.