Tourism players upbeat on process towards US-Kenya direct flights

An unattended car is heaved from JKIA’s Terminal 2 by a forklift on Friday in a security sweep ahead of President Barack Obama’s arrival. [PHOTO: GEORGE ORIDO/STANDARD]

President Barack Obama's announcement that Kenya and America were working to ensure direct flights between the two nations has elicited wide support from players in the struggling tourism industry.

They asked the Kenyan government to move expeditiously and ensure it complies with all the requirements by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to allow for the air service to start.

Lake Bogoria Hotels' Group General Manager Lydia Dentewo said there is need for political will to fast-track aviation audits to allow for the launch of the direct flights from Nairobi to the US and in turn an American carrier be allowed to fly from a US gateway to Nairobi, as is permitted under the existing Bilateral Air service Agreement (BASA).

Speaking at State House in Nairobi on Saturday, Mr Obama said considerable progress had been made in efforts to have the flights introduced.

The US President said America sent representatives from its Department of Transportation and Homeland Security to work with Kenyan officials and a degree of progress had been made.

"The introduction of a direct flight between Kenya and the US will in real sense provide faster and convenient travel between the two friendly States," Dentewo said.

She said most tourists on long-haul flights detest interconnecting flights as they end up losing a lot of time hopping from one airport and aircraft to the other before reaching their final destination.

"We are looking at increased tourist traffic into Kenya from the US source market, which is arguably our second largest after the United Kingdom (UK) as well as business travels," she said.

Kenya Airways (KQ) Marketing Director Chris Diaz said the national carrier had the requisite equipment (aircraft) for the long haul non-stop flight and look forward to approvals.

"Our national carrier is positive about a new future of opportunities connecting the markets strategically," Diaz said.

KQ has in its fleet Boeing B 787 Dreamliners, which are capable of non-stop flights to the East Coast of the US.

Kenya failed an audit by American aviation authorities earlier this year that would have cleared it for the direct flights into America's lucrative markets.

Both Kenya and the US have been conducting a technical audit to determine whether the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) was ready for the coveted Category 1 certification, which is necessary for the flights debut.

FAA and the NTSB of America and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) were involved in the process which ended in a score of 78.42 per cent for Kenya from the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

It was the second time Kenya was flopping the test, having scored 66 per cent in a previous audit in 2013, despite heavy investment intended for improvement of security at the airport, which is one of the conditions set by American aviation regulators for Kenya to meet before establishing the direct flights.

Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (Kahc) Coast branch Executive Officer Sam Ikwaye conceded that it had been difficult to service the route due to a number of factors ranging from safety concerns to low demand.

Mr Ikwaye said Egypt and other nations in Africa have seen real benefits and have, for example, matched their marketing campaigns with tangible incentives to international airlines which has always seen them fast-track recovery even in the face of worse calamities.

He said they remain optimistic that the new direct flights plan would be actualised soon.

Skal Kenya Coast chapter President Paul Kimeli Kurgat added that the start of direct flights was desirable and would boost both trade and tourism.

Kurgat, who is also sales and marketing manager for Ashnil Group of Hotels said the move to start the direct air service will also boost the American traveller confidence and expand trade relations.

"We urge the political leadership to embrace this move," Kurgat said.

Some of the international airports in African that have met the threshold that allow airlines from the US to land include Addis Ababa's Bole International Airport Category 1 clearance, Cairo's International Airport and the Oliver Tambo International in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Delta Airline from the US had intended to make direct flights to Kenya from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta direct to Dakar in Senegal and then to Nairobi Kenya as from June 2009.