Terminal 1A at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. PHOTO | FILE
By GERALD ANDAE
In Summary
The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) has achieved
the Category One status that will allow for direct flights between Kenya
and the US, bringing to an end the long search for express connection
between the two countries.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted Nairobi
the top status after carrying out a series of assessment audits in the
country.
“Getting [the] Category One status for us is a major milestone
in the growth and development of civil aviation in Kenya, East Africa
and rest of Africa,” said Transport minister James Macharia.
“The granting of this status means that airline operators, both
in Kenya and US, which have long desired to operate directly to or from
the US, will now be allowed to carry on their operations,” he added.
In Africa, only Morocco, Cape Verde, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and South Africa have direct flights to the US.
More compliance needed
Airline operators from Kenya have had to layover, mainly in Europe, before they can access the US airspace.
The direct flights, however, will only begin after certain
processes —including technical compliance and commercial arrangements —
are met.
“With Category One, there will be faster movement of goods and
people between the two countries, with an eradication of any delay
especially for horticultural produce from Kenya,” Mr Macharia said.
The Category One status is based on an FAA assessment of the
safety oversight provided by Kenya Civil Aviation Authority. The status
rating also shows Kenya's compliance with International Civil Aviation
Organisation(ICAO) standards.
To attain and maintain the top rating, a country must
demonstrate compliance with the safety standards as adopted and
contained in ICAO documents — a United Nations specialised agency for
aviation that establishes international standards and recommended
practices for aircraft operations and maintenance.
Kenya has been implementing a raft of recommendations given by
the US government to enhance security, among them separation of
passenger arrival and departure terminals, clearing the flight path and
fencing off the airport.
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Boost trade
Freighters say direct flights between the two countries would immensely boost trade through lower charges.
“If the US allows Kenya’s bid to have direct flights then we
will save up to 20 per cent on our cargo operation cost,” Astral
Aviation chief executive officer Sunjeev Gadhia said in an earlier
interview.
“The multiple connections make the trip longer and compromises
on on-time performance as there may be connection delays and missed
connections, while multiple handling in the hubs exposes the cargo to
mishandling that may reduce or degrade the cargo quality,” Jared Oswago,
the divisional manager at Siginon Aviation said.
“Flower and other horticultural produce are perishable
commodities and having to go all the way to Europe then USA, reduces
their quality by the time it gets to its final destination,” he said.
Mr Gadhia said direct flights will help in cutting down the
number of days taken to export cargo from seven days currently to at
least one day.
He points out that direct flights will also allow them to bring in more goods after delivering their cargo in the US.
Kenya largely imports medical engineering equipment, industrial
products, aircraft engines and chemicals while exporting textiles and
perishable products such as flowers and vegetables to America.
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