US, Kenya sign accord to liberalize air cargo market

Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Manisha Singh and Kenyan Secretary of Transport James Macharia sign an amendment to the U.S.-Kenya Air Transport Agreement in Washington D.C. (Photo Credit: U.S. State Dept.)

The U.S. and Kenya have updated their existing air transport agreement to add so-called seventh-freedom traffic rights for all-cargo operations.

The new rights give carriers greater flexibility to serve cargo and express delivery customers more efficiently and fully opens the Kenyan air cargo services market to U.S. companies, the U.S. State Department announced last week. The amendment allows U.S. all-cargo airlines to fly between Kenya and a third nation without needing to stop in the U.S., which is especially important for hub operators. Kenyan all-cargo carriers have reciprocal rights to serve the U.S.

It also allows airlines from both countries to set up and operate cargo hubs in either country.

The amendment will enter into force following an exchange of diplomatic notes, the State Department said.

Kenya is a major economy in Africa, and the air traffic agreement will make it easier for U.S. carriers and exporters to reach customers there.

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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Parcel and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com