US firms to help lobby for direct flights to Kenya after the US-Africa Summit ties

Direct flights between Kenya and the United States are on track to begin early next year, Kenya’s Transport minister has said. The government is counting on the support of three US business giants — Delta Airlines, Boeing and General Electric — to lobby for clearance and set in motion the process of launching the scheduled flights. Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau said this on Thursday as he revealed details of discussions with US regulators and firms during last week’s US-Africa summit, which saw more than 40 African leaders hosted in Washington, DC. He said the Kenya government had fruitful talks with the US Federal Aviation Authority and the Transport Safety Authority about progress towards Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport attaining FAA’s Category One status. This is required of all airports before they can have direct flights into the US.