Kenya and Somalia have signed a bilateral Air Services Agreement to open the two countries' airspace.
Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the deal will benefit Kenya Airways and other airlines.
“This agreement means that airlines will be designated to fly to Mogadishu and Nairobi but, this will depend on the designations that will be done by respective ministries across the country,” he said.
According to Murkomen, the two governments have decided to cooperate with their respective Civil Aviation Authorities.
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Those above will enhance their capacity, train their employees, and exchange experiences with one another in civil aviation.
“It makes us operate the way other civilized nations operate under the International Civil Aviation Authority and the Chicago convention that defines our relationship as countries on the use of airspace,” he said.
Murkomen stated that to obtain the essential air transport approvals, KQ must now write to the government.
It is based on the countries' Technical Cooperation Agreement (TCA), traffic rights, frequency, capacity, and code-sharing.
“The Agreement paves way for designated airlines of each Contracting Party to operate 7 weekly frequencies for passenger flights on specified routes while designated cargo flights may operate unlimited frequencies,” he said.
KQ halted its intentions to begin flights to Hargeisa in Somaliland in May 2021 due to a lack of the necessary "clearance and approvals."
At first, Somalia objected to Nairobi's stringent aviation regulations that demanded security check stops in Wajir, in northeastern Kenya.
