Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Expansion, Kenya

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is one of the busiest in Africa serving as a major hub in East Africa for cargo and tourist passengers.

When the airport was first opened in 1958 it had been designed for a maximum capacity of 2.5 million passengers a year. In 2006 the airport handled in excess of 4.4 million passengers. In December 2005 the Kenyan Airport Authority (KAA) declared their intention to expand and improve Jomo Kenyatta International to make it a premier regional hub in East Africa and prolong its usefulness until at least 2024 (when projections expect over nine million passengers a year).

In addition the airport is a very important cargo hub in East Africa. The amount of cargo handled at the airport increased from 192,300t in 2004 to 220,900t in 2005 and the trend in 2006 is still upward. So an expansion of the cargo handling facilities particularly for horticulture and floriculture produce is also on the agenda.

CURRENT JOMO KENYATTA FACILITIES

JKIA terminal has three sections catering for both arrivals and departures. Sections one and two are used for international flights and section three is used for domestic flights. Check-in occurs through section one and two depending on destination and all the check-in counters operate on a CUTE (Common Use Terminal Equipment) system.

There are eight gates in the departures area and the aircraft are boarded via boarding bridges. International arrivals disembark via the same gates into the A concourse which leads to the immigration counters on the first floor before they are directed to the baggage hall on the ground floor. Flight Information Display Systems (FIDS) and signage are in place to assist the passenger finding their way around the airport.

JKIA EXPANSION PLANS

In 2004, a Canadian-Kenyan consortium led by Queen's Quay Architects International Inc (Q2) and including Mueller International Inc (Sypher) won the consulting contract for the renovation and forecast expansion requirements for JKIA.

The facility evaluation and conceptual recommendations were completed and officially accepted in January 2005, leading to the detailed design and tender documents phase.

This expansion project was valued at $115m and the bulk of the cost is intended to be provided out of revenues and World Bank funding (10%).

In October 2005, the Kenya Airports Authority announced the final plans for the expansion of JKIA. The expansion project will double the current size of JKIA from 25,662m² to 55,222m² with the new Terminal 4 building. Aircraft parking, which has been a major problem in the past, will be improved by an increase in apron space from 200,000m² to over 300,000m², and also additional taxiways will be constructed.

The arrivals and departures sections are now to be totally separated for increased security, and the waiting areas are to be renovated. It is still under debate at government level as to whether the airport needs a second runway. Currently there is only one runway (06/24) which is 4,117m (13,507ft) paved in asphalt and ILS (Instrument Landing System) equipped. The current runway is sufficient to accommodate over 80,000 landings and take-offs a year but at the moment the number is only 60,000.

CONTRACTOR AND CONSTRUCTION

In August 2006 the KAA signed a contract worth $38m (2.6bn Kenyan Shillings) with Wu Yi Co Ltd of China for the expansion project construction work.

The first phase of the project started in September 2006 (ground breaking at the end of September) and is expected to last ten months.

The first phase will involve taxiway, apron construction, civil works for the new terminal building, extension of the fuel hydrant system and fencing. The second phase, which will begin mid-2007 will satisfy the urgent need for the expansion and upgrading of the airport buildings.

The expansion project has been divided into three phases to avoid disruption of the airport's operations. In subsequent phases the airport is set to have a new parking lot to accommodate 1,500 cars, airfield lighting, apron flood lights and the parking stands will be increased to accommodate 43 aircraft from the current 23.