Kenya Airways Gets Permit for Direct Flights to the US

Kenya Airways will soon embark on direct flights from Nairobi to the U.S after the airline was issued with a permit to be a Foreign Air Carrier.

The U.S Department of Transportation granted the permit that allows the national carrier to engage in scheduled and charter air transport between any points in Kenya and any point in the United States.

The start of the flights is subject to Kenya Airways meeting licensing requirements of any other applicable U.S. Government agencies.

Direct flights are expected to begin within the next six to twelve months according to aviation experts.

The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) acquired Category 1 Status in February 2017, paving the way for express connection between Kenya and the United States.

It is hoped that the direct flights will be a shot in the arm for tourism and trade.

This will no doubt be good news for Kenya Airways, coming days after it was revealed they had lost close to 115 pilots and engineers to Middle East airlines in the last two years.

The company has been struggling to claw its way back to profitability under the stewardship of Board Chairman Michael Joseph.

In Africa, only Morocco, Cape Verde, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and South Africa have direct flights to the US.

[caption caption="The permit issued to Kenya Airways"][/caption]

  • .