State to start construction of new JKIA terminal in January
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.
What you need to know:
- JKIA is the hub of national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ), its subsidiary Jambojet and other airlines.
- The airport was built in 1978 to serve just over two million passengers annually and has two terminals.
The government plans to break ground on the construction of a new terminal at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in January next year.
Kenya Airports Authority chairman Caleb Kositany on Sunday said the government will soon float a tender for the construction of the new terminal to increase the capacity of the airport. He however stated the agency is yet to make projections on the exact cost of the project.
“We will be breaking ground on a new terminal in January next year to boost the capacity of JKIA to handle more passengers,” said Mr Kositany when he received the maiden ASKY Airlines flight to Nairobi from Lome in Togo.
JKIA is the hub of national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ), its subsidiary Jambojet and other airlines. The airport was built in 1978 to serve just over two million passengers annually and has two terminals: Terminal 1 (1A, 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E) and Terminal 2.
But the number of passengers using the airport has risen sharply over the decades necessitating an increase in capacity. It currently serves about 6.5 million passengers annually and this number is expected to grow further in the coming years.
“We will be issuing an open tender soon to build the terminal. It will be most likely a PPP (public-private partnership) project or whatever proposals that we get that will be friendly and help us deliver the project as soon as we can,” said Mr Kositany. “As a board we want to do it as quickly as we possibly can and within the law.”
Mr Kositany said the airport is heavily congested especially during peak hours, adding that the construction of the new terminal will also include more parking space for customers.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta had launched the construction of the greenfield terminal at JKIA in December 2013 at and estimated cost of $650 million.
The project was later cancelled after projections showed the cost would exceed $1 billion. Further, its importance was reduced after rebuilding of Terminal 1A increased its capacity.
KAA recently undertook renovations of terminals 1B and C at a cost of Sh936 million aimed at enhancing security screening at the airport.
