Kenya Airways may not be cleared to fly directly to the US for at least eight months.
The delay stems from the lengthy approval process by US authorities, the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority said.
Before Kenya Airways can commence the direct flights to US, they must obtain approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The national carrier still needs two important licenses namely the Air Service Licence which allow Kenya Airways to operate commercial flights and the Air Operating Certificate which will be issued once the US agency assesses the airline’s technical capacity and issue approval.
This assessment will take approximately eight months.
On February 23, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was awarded “Category One” status which is the mandatory status any airport requires to be allowed to handle direct flights to the US.
KQ will also apply for traffic rights and negotiate for slots and schedules at the various US airports where they will be taking off and landing.
