Plans are underway for Kenya to have a state-of-the-art terminal at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport before 2027.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Friday announced that the government will begin the process of inviting investors by September this year.
“In the next couple of weeks, at most two months, we should have been able to put in public the expression of interest for investors to come and build a new terminal,” he said.
The CS spoke during the official opening of Air France KLM new Africa headquarters in Nairobi.
Murkomen highlighted that the proposed modern terminal will be a game changer in the East African region.
Following its construction in 1978, JKIA was meant to serve two million passengers annually.
However, upto date it serves at least eight million passengers annually, which has led to inefficiencies and breakdowns, which the government hopes to change in the next 4 years.
“We want to move to 30 million a year, but it will be subject to the expression we are going to put forward," Murkomen noted.
JKIA is Kenya’s main airport and one of the busiest airports in Africa.
It is also home to national flag carrier Kenya Airways and others including Jambojet, as well as Fly540 and African Express Airways
Construction of the terminal building at JKIA started on March 14, 1978, and was completed on the other side of the airport's single runway and opened by the founding father of the nation, the late President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
Following his death on August 22, 1978, the airport, formerly known as Nairobi International Airport, was renamed Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
There are two main terminals at JKIA; Terminals One and Two.
Terminal 1 is arranged in a semi-circular orientation and is divided into four parts: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E
Terminal 1A is used for International arrivals and Departures by Kenya Airways and Sky Partners
Terminals 1B and 1C are also used for international departures.
Terminal 1D is used for Domestic arrivals and departures while 1E is for International Arrivals.
Terminal 2 is used by low-cost carriers.
The original terminal, located on the north side of the runway, is used by the Kenya Air Force and is sometimes referred to as Old Embakasi Airport.
In January 2021, Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) began renovating JKIA terminals 1B and C to the new-look state of the art.
China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation (CJIC), undertook the works at a cost of Sh963 million.
The JKIA upgrade project involved the refurbishment of the airport’s departure halls to improve check-in, screening procedures, retail operations, and traveller lounge experience.
Terminal 1B and IC's renovation aimed to enhance the traveller experience in the two terminals to match what is offered at Terminal 1A.
Further, the renovations were also meant to improve customer experience and position the airport as the preferred aviation hub in East Africa.
At the cost of Sh1.7 billion Terminal 2 at the JKIA was opened in April 2015 by Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The state-of-the-art prefabricated terminal’s additional capacity brings JKIA’s capacity to 7.5 million passengers annually, compared to the estimated 6.5 million passengers who go through the airport.
It was initially intended to relieve overcrowding.
The terminal houses international & domestic check-in desks and boarding gates.
Also unveiled was the new security screening yard at the entrance of JKIA, a state-of-the-art facility fitted with modern security equipment that is one of its kind in Africa.
Current lounges at Terminal 2 include the Mara Lounge and Mount Kenya Lounge - both at the airside, Level 1 and open 24 hours.
Terminal 2 sits on 10,000 square meters. Fly 540, Sax, Jubba and African Air Express are some of the airlines that have already been operating from the new station.
JKIA also has five cargo facilities with a capacity to handle 200,000 tonnes of cargo annually, and an animal holding facility which occupies 4,318.95ft.
The cargo facilities are Kenya Airfreight Handling Limited (KAHL), Transglobal Cargo Centre, Nairobi Cargo Centre, and Cargo Service Centre.