65 years old Joseph Kinuthia who was in charge of the maiden Kenya Airways flight to New York has retired after having worked for 42 years with Kenya Airways.
He officially touched down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for his final flight, KQ003 just a day to his birthday. He was accompanied on arrival from US by the same crew members that were aboard the inaugural flight to New York on October 28 last year with a water cannon salute as he taxied to the ramp.
He was moved to tears after his family, fellow pilots and members of Kenya Airways staff congratulated him on a job well done. He offered up thanks to God and Kenya Airways for being a good employer who gave him an opportunity to grow in the industry; ”I could not help, I had to shed tears.
The thing I appreciate most about this company is that it has given me the opportunity to do what I love for the last 42 years. I also thank Kenya Airways for being a good employer who gave me an opportunity to grow in the industry and train many pilots. We have had a good work relationship.”
Kenya Airways also showered praises on him as a diligent worker who served with the utmost professionalism. Kinuthia says he has plenty of plans among them being training young pilots. Kinuthia has been flying since he was 21-years-old and has done 25,000 hours of actual flying.
He recalls some of the powerful people he has flown; ”I have flown former President Daniel Moi many times. I flew him to Belgrade when Yugoslavia was one unit through KQ’s Boeing 707, then I flew him to Beijing and then to Auckland. Probably, the crowing of my flying is when I flew Pope John Paul II when he came to Nairobi. It was an extraordinary thing he did because all the time the Pope flies Alitalia. John Paul II decided to break tradition because he was doing an African tour.”