MaurineTheuri
Member
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia has inaugurated the National Air Transport Facilitation Committee (NATFC) which will transform air travel in the country.
The committee will comprise representatives from government agencies such as KRA, NIS, DCI, Immigration Services, Kenya Tourism Board, Ministry of Health among others.
The NATFC shall be chaired by the Ministry of Transport and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority shall be the secretariat.
One of the functions of the committee shall be to ensure that passengers, cargo and mail are cleared through airports in line with (International Civil Aviation Organization) ICAO Standards and best international practices.
The team will develop and review policies relating to clearance formalities applied to international air transport services.
NATFC will also be expected to carry out periodic inspections of airports and associated facilities to assess facilitation status.
“Encourage the use of technology and integrate mechanisms to facilitate the smooth movement of aircraft, crew, passengers, cargo, Stall and stow into and out of the country,” the team was instructed in the gazette notice.
As a signatory to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago, 1944), Kenya just like other members are required to comply with the international best practices in the aviation industry.
The committee shall report to the Transport CS and appraise him on the progress on a regular basis.
The costs incurred by the committee and payment of allowances shall be obtained from each represented ministry or government agency.
The committee shall be key in Kenya’s ability to maintain its top rating in the aviation industry.
Jomo Kenyatta International (JKIA) and Mombasa’s Moi International Airport were in March awarded for their excellence in customer service in Africa from ACI’s Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Survey.