The government has announced plans to break ground in January 2024 for the new state-of-the-art terminal at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). The government projects that multibillion project will be complete by 2027.
Speaking on Sunday, the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) chairman Caleb Kositany said that the state will float a tender soon for the construction of the new terminal.
“We will be breaking ground on a new terminal in January 2024 to boost the capacity of JKIA to handle more passengers,” said Caleb.
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The KAA chairman also added that the tender will most likely be a public-private partnership (PPP) or any proposal they will receive that is friendly will be considered provided it will help the state deliver on time and within the laws of Kenya.
JKIA is the home of the national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) and other airlines. At the time it was being built in 1978 it was meant to serve slightly over two million passengers. However, the number of passengers using the airport has grown tremendously over the years and it currently serves about 6.5 million passengers annually and the state projects the numbers to grow by end of 2023.
Caleb Kositany also noted that JKIA is heavily congested and the construction of the new terminal will greatly provide space and more parking for passengers. During the Sunday event, ASKY airlines, a Pan-African company launched the Nairobi route through JKIA, as part of its growth strategy to enhance connectivity in Africa.
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The airline, currently based in Togo will initially have three flights weekly on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from JKIA to Lomé-Togo. The airline plans to increase the flights to daily as time progresses.
Former president Uhuru Kenyatta has launched a similar project back in December 2013 that was valued at USD 650 million. The project was later cancelled after projections showed the cost would exceed USD 1 billion.
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