Following years of failed audits and months of delay after the last audit finally put Jomo Kenyatta International Airport into the pass section, news has emerged overnight that Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has at last been cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the coveted Category 1 status.
While it may take some time before actual direct flights will be launched, most likely by Kenya Airways and their SkyTeam alliance partner Delta, the legal foundation is now taken care of. Carriers wishing to offer direct or nonstop flights now have to get designation from their respective home countries and then apply for landing rights, in Kenya for Nairobi and possibly Mombasa, and in the United States at an airport of their choice.
Få lufthavne i Afrika har dette godkendelsesniveau for overholdelse af USA's krav, blandt dem Addis Abeba, Johannesburg og Casablanca for at nævne de vigtigste luftfartshubs, og Nairobi-tilslutning til denne eksklusive klub vil uden tvivl bidrage til at forbedre turisme og handel.
USA viste sig allerede sidste år som Kenyas største kildemarked for turister, og overhalede Storbritannien, hvorfra charterflyvninger til Mombasa stadig ikke er vendt tilbage til niveauet fra de seneste år.
Da dette viste sig at være en breaking news-udvikling, har turismeinteressenter ikke haft tid til at reagere på nuværende tidspunkt.
