Kenya's airspace is safe: official
Xinhua, November 25, 2016 Adjust font size:
The Kenyan government said Thursday the country's airspace is safe and meets the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards after improvement made in aviation security.
Principal Secretary for Transport Irungu Nyakera said the country has significantly increased its level of effective implementation of ICAO regulations and security standards.
ICAO designs global benchmarks for aviation safety and security both on the ground and in the air, and checks airports against those standards.
Nyakera said during the sixth Africa aviation law conference in Nairobi that Kenya has invested in improved air navigation systems.
"Our airspace is 95 percent covered with modern radar technology that enables us to monitor any aircraft in our air space in real time," he said.
About 40 airlines operate from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi. Over 10,000 passengers pass through JKIA on transit to various destinations every day.
Thousands of tonnes of cargo also passes through the airport daily, given that Kenya is a prominent horticultural hub.
Nyakera said the aviation sector in Africa faced stiff competition, high fuel cost, small market size, global threat of terrorism and the high cost of infrastructure development.
He called on African governments to develop homegrown solutions by creating a conducive environment in favor of local carriers in both regional and international flights across the continent. Endit