The Kenyan Government’s early celebrations after the country was given the necessary status needed to have direct flights to the United States was cut short after a new announcement by American government officials.
The Daily Nation on Friday quoted US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokeswoman Alison Duquette clarifying that the Category One status recently given to Kenya was the result of an assessment of the country itself, not any particular airlines or airports.
“We determine if the country’s civil aviation authority has the laws and oversight processes in place to assure safe operations,” Ms Duquette stated.
The FAA spokesperson added that Kenya has several regulatory hurdles that it must meet before the direct flights can start touching down in American airports.
The agency would also require the prospective carrier, Kenya Airways in this case, to explain exactly how it plans to meet FAA safety regulations.
Even after clearance from the FAA, Kenya Airways will still need to get “economic authority” from the US Department of Transportation.
This process will involve scrutiny on the company’s financial capacity, the ownership and management personnel.
The lengthy regulatory procedures are likely to halt a projection made by Transport CS James Macharia, that direct flights to the US would commence by May this year.
