Barely a week after the US’s Federal Aviation Administration elevated the status of Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to Category One status, the World’s largest aerospace manufacturer Boeing has opened an office in Nairobi and Johannesburg.

The new offices in Johannesburg and Nairobi are set to take care of Boeing’s Africa business as it continues to expand its international presence.

The Johannesburg office will be headed by Miguel Santos, Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, and Director for International Sales, Africa.

Santos says the aerospace industry needs to start paying closer attention to Africa because the continent is on the move economically.

“Africa is not new territory for Boeing. Since the introduction of the jet airplane, Boeing aircraft have formed the backbone of the continent’s commercial fleet and Boeing continues to be one of the largest US-based companies doing business on the continent,” Santos said in a statement.

Boeing says Africa would be in need of 1,150 new airplanes over the next 20 years as the most recent Current Market Outlook report predicted that air traffic to and from the continent is expected to grow by about 6.1 percent annually.

Chamsou Andjorin, the director for government affairs and market development, will be based in the Nairobi office.

Category One Status

The allowance of direct flights between Kenya and the US is set to bolster trade, especially in horticultural products between the two countries.

Earlier in a statement on Sunday, State House spokesperson Manoah Esipisu noted that the elevation of the status JKIA is a nod of the US administration to the Kenya’s security system.