JKIA Receives Last Point of Departure Clearance, Paving Way for Nonstop Flights to the US

The United States government has granted Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) the Last Point of Departure (LPD) clearance.

This clearance paves the way for airlines to fly directly from JKIA to any destination in the United States.

This also means that national carrier, Kenya Airways is now free to formally launch nonstop flights to JKF International Airport in New York, which is scheduled for October 28th.

“This is a major achievement for Kenya as JKIA becomes one of the elite African airports to be certified as a last point of departure to the United States. JKIA is now poised to become the premier hub in Africa,” KAA Managing Director Jonny Andersen said in a statement on Wednesday.

The LPD clearance was the last hurdle in the scheduled direct flight operations to the US for Kenya Airways.

Last year, Kenya received a Category One status after years of conceited efforts by relevant state agencies.

“Category One is a status granted to a country.  On the other hand, Last Point of Departure is granted to airports,” KCAA Director General Gilbert Kibe said in a recent interview.

The nod follows the historic meeting between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his US counterpart Donald Trump at White House in Washington, D.C.