Friday February 24, 2017
Kenya Airways’ first Boeing 787 Dreamliner "Great Rift Valley" is seen at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. I t is the first of six Dreamliners that Kenya Airways expects this year. XINHUA PHOTO - MENG CHENGUANG
Nairobi, Kenya (AP) -- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration says Kenya has complied with international safety standards and can have direct flights to the U.S. after waiting for more than a decade.
The FAA in a statement Thursday said Kenya has received a category 1 rating under the agency's International Aviation Safety Assessment Program. With that rating, Kenyan air carriers can establish services to the U.S.
Kenya's transport minister James Macharia described the category 1 status as a major milestone in the country's aviation industry. Kenya is East Africa's largest economy.
Kenya transformed its main airport after a 2013 fire destroyed its international terminal because the airport had only one fire engine working. Some rescuers, including police, looted ATMs and forex bureaus instead of fighting the blaze.