Kenya's main airport achieves 'Last Point of Departure' status for direct US flights
This follows bilateral talks between President Kenyatta and his US counterpart, Donald Trump
The clearance, granted by the American Government, now gives the green light for airlines to fly directly from JKIA to any destination in the U.S.
“This is a major achievement for Kenya as JKIA becomes one of the elite African airports to be certified as a last point of departure to the United States. JKIA is now poised to become the premier hub in Africa,” KAA Managing Director Jonny Andersen said in a statement.
The announcement came after President Uhuru Kenyatta and US President Donald Trump met for bilateral talks at the White House on August 27.
Remaining hurdle
JKIA was in February, last year, given Category One status after several audits by the FAA that had seen Kenya fail to meet a number of reviews, delaying an earlier commencement date of August 2016.
The LPD clearance was the last remaining hurdle in the planned direct flight operations for Kenya Airways.
The first direct flight from Nairobi to New York will depart from the airport on October 28, 2018.
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