Terminal 1A at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. PHOTO | FILE The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has closed Terminal 1B and 1C in a Sh936 million renovation drive at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) aimed at enhancing security screening.
The move will see airlines such as Lufthansa Airlines, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian airlines, RwandaAir, Air Mozambique, Air Arabia, Turkish Airline and Egypt Air that have been operating at Terminal 1C moved to Terminal 1A.
Airlines such as Uganda Airlines that resumed Nairobi flights last October after a six-month hiatus on Covid-19 restrictions as well as Emirates airline will also be relocated to Terminal 2 from Terminal 1B.
Air India and British Airways that has been operating at Terminal 1B will now operate at Terminal 1A.
The renovation of the terminals has already started.
“In order to minimise any inconvenience, we advise all passengers to check their flight status with their respective airline. KAA is working closely with all its partner airlines and other stakeholders at JKIA to provide a seamless travel experience,” said a stamen from KAA.
The 12-month upgrade, which aims at refurbishing the departure halls at the two terminals will also improve the check-in activity and enhance passenger lounge experience for the customers using the airport.
The development will also ease passenger flow and increase efficiency due to the centralisation of security screening procedures and the reallocation of available floor spaces to international departure gates.
KAA has in the recent years cancelled a number of projects including construction of the Green Field terminal and the second runway.
Kenya’s delay in the expansion of JKIA comes at a time when regional countries are revamping their airport infrastructure as they position themselves to attract global airlines.
Expansion of Tanzania’s main airport is currently on course, a project likely to reduce Dar es Salaam’s reliance on Nairobi for transit flights by some of European airlines.JKIA is the sixth busiest airport in Africa.Besides Kenya Airways, it handles airlines such as British Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, RwandAir, Emirates, South African Airways, and Turkish Airlines among others.An estimated 5.89 million international travellers passed through JKIA in the 11 months to end of November 2018, compared to 5.79 million passengers in the full year 2017.