The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), in coordination with the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), has issued a notice to all aircraft operators on the changes in the licensing cycle.
According to CA, the changes will be effective July 1, 2026, transitioning the Communication Authority from the fixed annual expiry of the Aircraft Licenses set at June 30.
All Aircraft Radio Licenses’ duration will now be transitioned to synchronize with the validity period of the Certificate of Airworthiness (COA) issued by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority.
“The Authority, in collaboration with the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), wishes to notify all aircraft operators of a change in the licensing cycle. Effective July 1st, 2026, the Communications Authority of Kenya will be transitioning from the fixed June 30th annual expiry of the Aircraft Radio Licenses to a system where the Aircraft Radio License duration will be synchronized with the validity period of the Certificate of Airworthiness (COA) issued by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority,” part of the notice from the Communications Authority read.
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CA Regulatory Compliance
To ensure effective transition, CA urged that, upon the expiration of the current licenses on June 30 and the settlement of the annual fees, the Authority issue an initial license.
Initial licenses issued by the Authority will be valid for up to 30 days after the expiry of the current Certificate of Airworthiness (COA).
According to the Authority, the 30-day grace period will give operators enough time to renew their COA with KCAA before applying for the aligned Aircraft Radio License.
Following the submission of a renewed COA to the Authority, a new Aircraft Radio License will be issued for 12 months and aligned with the COA’s validity period.
Further, the Authority explained that as the alignment occurs within the same financial year, during the issuance of the second Aircraft Radio License, no additional fee would be levied on the operators.
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Aircraft Radio License Renewal
All Aircraft Radio Licenses aligned with the COA validity period will operate on a standard 12-month renewal cycle.
Additionally, the licenses will include a built-in 30-day buffer to enable timely, orderly renewal by aircraft operators without creating compliance gaps.
During the renewal process, all operators must submit a valid Certificate of Airworthiness issued by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority.
In addition to the COA, a valid Radio Survey Report issued by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority will be required for any Aircraft Radio License.
Further, operators will be required to submit proof of payment of the prescribed annual license fee during the license renewal process.
The initiative to change the Aircraft Radio Licenses system will ensure that aircraft operators maintain valid documentation with both CA and KCAA.
