KAA Begins Upgrade of the Kisumu International Airport
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- February 11, 2022
Kenya Airports Authority this afternoon broke ground for the rehabilitation, upgrade and expansion project of the Kisumu International Airport.
The upgrade project will see the construction of a Mezzanine Floor within the Kisumu International Airport Passenger Terminal Building to increase passenger capacity & provide an additional VIP lounge.
The existing Passenger Terminal building will also be extended to provide an additional boarding gate area, an arrivals hall and Landside Vehicle Grade Parking.
The upgrade project comes as Kisumu County is preparing to this year host the Afri-cities Summit, an event that will attract a large number of delegates from across the African continent.
The upgrade will enable the airport to compete in the region and globally. The airport has been handling domestic flights for airlines such as Kenya Airways, Jambojet, Fly540, Fly Renegade Air Kenya, Safarilink Aviation and 748 Airline.
Over time, however, the facility has continued to witness an increase in passenger traffic, recording 500,000 new passengers annually.
“Due to an increased number of passengers, there has been a need to expand the airport to comfortably accommodate its users,” said Kisumu Airport Authority manager Selina Gor.
The new airport, which will double up its current capacity upon completion, is expected to be ready for operation in the next 90 days. The KAA managing director Mr Alex Gitari said on Friday that all the necessary preparations have been put in place to ensure construction runs smoothly.
“We have identified a serious contractor who gave us an assurance that the new airport will be ready ahead of the summit,” said Mr Gitari. The construction will be undertaken by China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation for Sh240 million.
