The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) has granted air service licenses to 25 applicants in its latest round of approvals.

In a gazette notice dated Saturday, December 27, 2025, the Authority outlined its decisions, which are categorized into the issuance of new or renewed licenses and the variation of existing ones.

“Pursuant to the provisions of the Civil Aviation Act and the Civil Aviation (Licensing of Air Services) Regulations, 2018 (Regulation 28), notice is given that the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority has made decisions on applications for air service licenses whose particulars were previously published in Kenya Gazette Notice No. 10299 of 2025. The decisions are specified in the third column, and the particulars of the applications are in the second column for each applicant named in the first column of the schedule below,” read the notice.

KCAA Decisions on Air Service License Applications

For new and renewed licenses, KCAA granted air service licenses to 20 entities, with approval periods ranging from one to three years. Notable recipients include Tui Airlines Nederland B.V. (one year), Kenya Airlines Ltd (one year), and Freedom Airline Express Limited (three years).

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For variations of existing licenses, the Authority approved five applications, allowing operators such as Astral Aviation Limited and Governors Aviation Ltd to introduce new routes or add additional operational bases.

List of 25 Airlines Granted Licenses

Some operators received multiple approvals across different service categories. For instance, Airvan Kenya Limited was authorised to operate international and domestic scheduled services, non-scheduled services, and aerial work services under varying validity periods.

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Only two applicants listed in the gazette notice, that is Jetafric Airways Limited and Oasis Flights Company Limited, had their applications declined, with decisions recorded as “License not granted.”

The table below summarises the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority’s decisions on air service license applications, including the approved service types, effective dates, and the duration of each license granted.

Applicant Name
Type of Service(s) Applied For
Decision Status
Effective Date
Period (Duration)

Tui Airlines Nederland B.V.
Inclusive Tour Charters (Amsterdam-Zanzibar-Mombasa)
Granted
10th Nov, 2025
1 Year

My Freighter (dba Centrum Air)
International Non-scheduled Cargo (Tashkent-Nairobi-Dubai)
Granted
10th Nov, 2025
1 Year

Fly Safari Airlink Ltd
International Non-scheduled & Emergency Medical
Granted
19th March, 2025
2 Years

Governors Aviation Ltd
Variation of Domestic Scheduled routes (Wilson to various ranches)
Granted
N/A
Existing License Validity

Fly Mode Flight Centre Ltd
Variation to include JKIA as a base
Granted
N/A
Existing License Validity

Freedom Airline Express Ltd
Variation of Domestic Scheduled routes (Dadaab, Kakuma)
Granted
N/A
Existing License Validity

Fly Mara Airlines Limited
Variation to include JKIA as a base
Granted
N/A
Existing License Validity

Astral Aviation Limited
Variation to include Nairobi-Dubai-Haikou-Delhi route
Granted
N/A
Existing License Validity

Freedom Airline Express Ltd
International Scheduled (Nairobi to Mogadishu, Kigali, etc.)
Granted
4th May, 2025
3 Years

Kenya Airlines Ltd
Domestic & International Non-scheduled Cargo
Granted
31st Oct, 2025
1 Year

Skylift Group Limited
Domestic & International Non-scheduled
Granted
10th Nov, 2025
1 Year

Ninety Nines Flying School
Flying Instructions within Kenya
Granted
28th June, 2025
3 Years

Flitestar Academy Limited
Flying Instructions within Kenya
Granted
23rd July, 2025
3 Years

Jubba Airways Ltd
International & Domestic Non-scheduled
Granted
15th May, 2025
1–3 Years

Wilderness Air Ltd
Non-scheduled & Aerial Work (Patrol, Photography)
Granted
2nd Nov, 2025
1 Year

ALS Limited
Scheduled, Non-scheduled & Emergency Medical
Granted
1st Aug, 2025
1–3 Years

Aeorojet Aviation Ltd
International & Domestic Non-scheduled
Granted
31st Oct, 2025
1 Year

Flypremier Company Ltd
Non-scheduled Africa (Scheduled routes denied)
Partial Grant
10th Nov, 2025
1 Year

Airvan Kenya Limited
Scheduled, Non-scheduled, Medical & Aerial work
Granted
2025 / 2026
1–3 Years

ALS Contracts Ltd
International & Domestic Non-scheduled
Granted
12th Aug, 2025
3 Years

Everett Aviation Charter Ltd
Non-scheduled, Medical, Aerial work & Instructions
Granted
16th Oct, 2025
1–3 Years

Kenya Wildlife Service
Domestic Non-scheduled & Aerial Work (Wildlife)
Granted
10th Nov, 2025
1 Year

Balloon Safaris Limited
Hot Air Balloon Services (Masai Mara)
Granted
25th Aug, 2025
3 Years

Bestlink Air Services Ltd
International & Domestic Non-scheduled
Granted
10th Nov, 2025
1 Year

Phoenix Air Group, Inc
International & Domestic Non-scheduled & Medical
Granted
10th Nov, 2025
1 Year

Jetafric Airways Limited
Domestic Scheduled & International Non-scheduled
Not Granted
N/A
N/A

Oasis Flights Company Ltd
Domestic & International Non-scheduled
Not Granted
N/A
N/A

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A photo of the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) headquarters in Nairobi PHOTO/KCAA