MANY STEPS AHEAD FOR KENYA AIRWAYS BEFORE US FLIGHTS CAN BECOME A REALITY
(Posted 10th September 2017)
Following local media reports in Kenya, which suggested that flights to the United States by national carrier Kenya Airways were literally just weeks away, has the airline clarified in a statement what steps are still to be taken to accomplish the launch of a new route.
‘Kenya Airways has received a final order from the United States of America Department of Transportation.
The order is part of the process to commence flights to the US which is still ongoing. The recent approval grants the airline permission to fly both passengers and cargo and is part the many approval stages that are expected to be concluded soon.
“This approval by the DOT has been achieved thanks to the hard work of great individuals within all the departments of KQ. I am confident that our team will complete the next milestones with the same success and allow us to operate non-stop flights to the US in 2018”, said Kenya Airways Commercial Director Vincent Coste.
Kenya Airways is working with both the Kenyan Ministry of Transport and the US Department authorities to ensure all requirements are met.‘
Also still outstanding is an audit by the US Federal Aviation Authority on a range of logistical issues related to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport which was due to take place in October this year. No information could be sourced if the audit will take place as scheduled given the ongoing electioneering in Kenya and the caution with which US government bodies react to such developments.
Finally will Kenya Airways also require additional aircraft to launch flights to the United States as the airline’s long haul fleet of seven Boeing B787 Dreamliners is all deployed on present routes and unless at least one if not both of these aircraft types leased to Oman Air will be returned prematurely, before the three year lease expires, it will very likely be left to Kenya Airways’ partner airline Delta to launch US to Kenya services before KQ itself will be able to add their own services, all under code share arrangements.
