Why Kenya Airways is referred to as KQ rather than KA may be a mystery to you. For what does KQ stand? For what does the Q stand?

Let's take a quick trip down the airline's memory lane. East African Airways was the precursor to Kenya Airways.

The regional airline was established in 1946 and had its main office in Nairobi. It provided service to Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

However, the relationships between the nations were short-lived, which resulted in the dissolution of the East African Community and the subsequent closure of East African Airways.

East African Airways, a local carrier, gave birth to Kenya Airways in 1977. Korean Air was already operating at that point, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) had already given them the designation "KA."

Kenya was given the code KQ for being "late," which is why the airline is referred to as KQ rather than KA.

IATA is an aviation organization that collaborates with airlines all over the world to promote their dependability and safety.

IATA also establishes norms for the entire aviation industry, including ticketing and packaging. It has 290 airlines from 120 different countries as members.

The association, which was established in Montreal, Canada, in 1945 with 57 airlines registering as members, now carries 83% of all air traffic worldwide.