The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has kicked off the expansion of the Kisumu International Airport in readiness for the May 2022 Africities Conference.
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.
Mr Gitari who was speaking during the groundbreaking said the airport will undergo a major upgrade including construction of a mezzanine floor in the passenger terminal to increase its capacity.
“We will also extend the existing passenger terminal building to provide an additional boarding gate area and arrivals hall and a landslide vehicle grade parking,” said Mr Gitari.
The upgrade will enable the airport to compete in the region and globally.
The airport has been handling domestic flights for airlines such as the Kenya Airways,
Jambojet, Fly540, Air 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. anyangoangy1@gmail.com