Kisumu International Airport. FILE PHOTO | NMG The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has introduced new standard parking fees at Kisumu International Airport and Mombasa’s Moi International Airport after taking over control of the car park systems at the two installations.
KAA said Wednesday that it would manage parking operations at the two airports on an interim basis as it prepares to issue a fresh tender for the installation, operation and maintenance of an automated car park system at the two airports. The contract to manage the crucial service at both airports was previously held by Mason Services Limited.
Consequently, KAA said motorists would pay a standard rate of Sh100 from the previous fee of Sh70 charged to motorists to park for up to an hour at the two airports.
The new standard rates represent an increase of Sh30 or 42.86 percent. “KAA has taken over the management of its gate service on an interim basis,” said KAA in response to queries from the Business Daily .
Kisumu Airport, which serves Western Kenya, is the third largest international airport in the country after Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi and Moi International Airport (Mombasa).
It records 50The Business Daily separately0,000 passengers annually. Currently, the airport mostly handles domestic flights, including Kenya Airways, Jambojet, Fly540, Britex Airlines, Freedom Airline Express, Silverstone Airlines and Fly Safarilink Aviation.
Moi International Airport on the other hand handles higher traffic with more than 18 airlines flying directly to and from Europe, and offering connections to over 20 cities in the region.
The Business Daily separately learned that motorists will be fined upto 50 percent of the Sh70 they pay for up to an hour at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi if they opt to pay at the JKIA’s main gate instead at the payment booths at parking bays within the airport.
The move is aimed at ending congestion at the airport’s main gates where motorists opt to pay from instead of at the parking bays.
KAA contracted a local firm, Diire Real-time Investment, to manage parking at Eldoret International Airport in a five-year deal that was slated to end last month according to earlier reports while Kenya Airports Parking Services manages parking at the JKIA.
Last year, the Transport ministry declared that private firms that operate airport car parks would be allowed to determine their fees, amid concerns over huge variations in charges among Kenya’s three international airports.
