The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) is in a bit of a fix.  According to Pesatalk sources from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA ), the Authority’s ongoing expansion project is not moving as fast as it should be. This means that passengers may face even more gridlocks and delays despite promises of a more effective operation from the JKIA.

Speaking to Pesatalk during a telephone interview, sources confirmed that the airport already lacks the capacity to handle the ever-growing number of passengers. They also noted that there were insufficient aircraft packing spaces and ongoing passenger delays were still being addressed.

The airport cannot effectively handle the passenger numbers now and holding capacity has become a major concern. As such, the KAA is looking for temporary structures to process those arriving and departing from the airport.

Increased Passenger and Cargo Traffic

According to a Newsletter from the JKIA, passenger holding capacity should increase to 9 million, up from the current 6 million. The airport announced that it has since added 2400 seats, extra check in areas and plans to introduce 1500 more parking spaces. The Newsletter states that, at the time, JKIA’s expansion plan was on track.  The Airport even added self-check in Kiosks to ease congestion. As of now, only KQ, South African Airways and KLM  are using the service. Since then the airport has had to deal with increased passenger volumes and insufficient cargo space.

A JKIA press release states that passenger traffic had gone up 10.7% by October 2012. On the other hand, cargo traffic  increased 16.8%.

The JKIA currently has 5 cargo facilities. They include Kenya Airfreight Handling Limited (KAHL), Transglobal Cargo Centre, Nairobi Cargo Centre, and Cargo Service Centre. Together, they can handle up to 200,000 tonnes of cargo annually. Their animal holding capacity amounts to more than 4300 square feet.

The Authority currently has over 50 tenders under evaluation, including a proposal for the leasing and management of a hanger in Wilson Airport. They hope that the ongoing Project Greenfield expansion will help ease these concerns.

They Finally Got The Green Light

In August of 2012, Cabinet had stalled the project, citing several technical concerns. In September, the KAA Board had finally gotten the green light needed to push the project forward. This means that a whole month was wasted on paperwork while passengers continued to suffer. You have your fast and effective government procedures to thank for that.

Politics and Bureaucracy aside, a statement by the European Union (Africa) states that EGIS intends to assist the KAA as the project continues to take flight.

The move follows another project which will link JKIA to the Syokimau railway station. The station will cost taxpayers about KES 400 million and includes the rehabilitation of 14.4 Kilometers of railway lines running in and around the Nairobi and Embakasi area. Kenya Railways Corporation notes that the initiative will ease congestion along Mombasa Road and de-congest Uhuru Highway. It is due for completion later this year.

It is now November and progress reports appear to be pending. Hopefully, everything will go as planned and Kenyans can finally breath a sigh of relief. So expect to be herded like cattle the next time you assume that you know how to navigate the airport. And try to get used to delays until this plan actually makes some progress.