Kenya Airways finally awarded US foreign air carrier permit

Kenya Airways has been granted a foreign air carrier permit by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) which will see the carrier offer direct flights from Kenya to the US starting 05-Sep-2017.DOT first granted KQ its first license early this year but the carrier wasn’t expected to launch operations till 2018 after the approval process was finalized.The national carrier has received "exemption authority" from the DOT, allowing it to commence flights to the US provided it secures clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other applicable State agencies.The DOT also tentatively granted Kenya Airways a Foreign Air Carrier Permit (FACP), which is again subject to clearance from several US securities, aviation and border agencies.The airline intends to initially offer US services through a codeshare arrangement with another carrier and plans to partner with Delta Airlines before it starts offering independent flights.The announcement comes after Oman Air implemented a codeshare agreement with KQ covering services between Muscat and Nairobi effective August 28, 2017.The new partnership will allow seamless connectivity to Kenya Airways customers in accessing Muscat directly from Nairobi. Oman Air launched its flights to Nairobi in March this year.