Kenya to Expand Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Rebuild Terminal Ravaged by Fire

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in 2013, prior to the terminal fire

Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the busiest hub in East and Central Africa, announced it will begin a multi-year expansion project that includes the installation of a new terminal and a second runway.  The airport’s international arrivals terminal was destroyed by a fire in August.

The project, which will cost $653 million, was announced by the country’s transport minister, Michael Kamau.  The plans for the project were not new but were expedited beause of the fire.  Currently, the airport is using a makeshift terminal constructed out of several giant tents for arrivals.

Jomo Kenyatta Airport, which opened in 1978, was designed to accomodate 2.5 million passengers annually.  Its current passenger volume is nearly triple that.  It currently operates over 100 domestic and international flights daily

The new terminal and runway will give the airport the ability to handle 40 million passengers a year.

The airport is a hub for Kenya Airways, the country’s flag carrier, and Fly540.  Kenya Airways, which is partially owned by Air France-KLM, plans to more than double its fleet to more than 80 aircraft over the coming five years.

(Photo: Arthur Buliva)