- Airlines from JKIA connect over 100 destinations worldwide to Kenya and cater to a clientele accustomed to a certain level of luxury.
- JKIA has several premium lounges for travelers to enjoy, including the newly unveiled Plaza Premium Lounge.
Heads of state, commercially important passengers and prominent individuals coming to Kenya with chartered flights will have a dedicated terminal at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
JKIA says is part of the Government’s immediate plans for the facility, designed to cater to the growing number of business class travelers in the country.
In an exclusive interview with the Star, the airport's general manager, Selina Gor, revealed that the special terminal will cater to VIPs such as the chief executive officers of global corporations who have significant business interests in Kenya and the region.
“We have quite several high-end travelers who come with chartered airlines, so going into the future we are looking at creating a terminal specifically for high-end guests coming to Kenya and traveling on a charter,” said Gor.
Furthermore, the airport which receives at least 47 airlines plans to add three more luxury lounges.
The airlines, which connect over 100 destinations worldwide to Kenya, cater to a clientele accustomed to a certain level of luxury.
“What we have seen over the years is that we have a lot of billionaires and important people coming to Kenya, sitting heads of state and people we consider commercially important passengers like the president of Coca-Cola or Samsung,” added Gor.
Additionally, there are plans to dedicate another floor solely to lounges for premium clientele, a response to requests from leading airlines such as Emirates and Qatar for dedicated lounge areas.
We have had requests from big airlines...Emirates has appealed, they would like to be given an area where they can set up a lounge because Emirates is a big airline and does very many frequencies into JKIA and of course they fly a lot of high-end people.
"They have said they are going to give us a proposal on the same for us to look at what they want to do and then see how we can collaborate with them. Qatar has also approached us with a similar concept,” Gor said.
Kenya Airports Authority Acting Managing Director Henry Ogoye who was speaking during the inauguration of The Plaza Premium Lounge said it sets a new standard for airport hospitality, offering
"This collaboration signifies our ongoing efforts to elevate the quality of airport services in the region. We are confident that this lounge will significantly improve the overall airport experience for travelers," Ogoye said.
JKIA has several premium lounges for travelers to enjoy, including the Aspire Lounge, Simba Lounge, Msafiri Lounge and Tradewinds Mara Lounge.
These lounges offer a relaxing space with amenities like Wi-Fi and showers, and provide workstations for business travelers, making layovers at the airport less stressful and more productive.
Plaza Premium Group Senior Vice President of EMEA, Okan Kufeci, added that the new lounge is the group’s second location in Africa, marking a significant step in the strategic expansion that it lies within its global network of over 250 locations across 80 international airports and 30 countries.
They enhance the company’s presence in the MEA region adding to an already impressive portfolio of executive airport lounges, hotels and F&B outlets in Amman, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, and Addis Ababa.
Today, the airport has quadrupled its capacity to host 26.5 million passengers annually.