Delta Connection has changed its brand name to D Connection after failing to block a US carrier from using the name Delta.

The move comes in the wake of a court order barring the Kenyan airline from using the word Delta. The ruling will see the airline change the name on all its corporate material, including stationery. "This is a major loss on the company as re-branding will cost us millions of shillings," Ms Beverlyne Wangari, the airline's sales and marketing manager, said on Monday.

She said re-branding was expected to affect the airline's operations as it will have to temporarily halt business to assume the new identity. The ruling was issued as an interim measure pending hearing of a suit filed by Delta Airlines. Ms Wangari said the ruling was a case of the company suffering consequences of two parallel systems that exist under the Companies Act and the Trademarks Act, "as each act is independent and there is no cross reference between the two."

Delta Connection Limited was registered in the country in April 2004. It operates the Nairobi-Southern Sudan route, mainly ferrying cargo and passengers. It was one of the first airlines to venture into this market.

The opening up of the market, especially as Kenyan companies expand into Southern Sudan, has seen more demand for flights leading to increased competition as other airlines eye the lucrative route. In addition to rising competition, the airline has had to deal with cancellations of flight bookings and delays, among other challenges.