JKIA in fresh expansion after Adani fallout

By Newsflash Writer

The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has launched a far-reaching, multi-year redevelopment strategy for Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), signalling the most extensive reconstruction of Kenya’s main aviation hub in over forty years and coming months after the collapse of the contentious Adani takeover plan.

The proposal, unveiled this week by KAA in partnership with global infrastructure consultancy Sidara, outlines a transformative redesign featuring a new passenger terminal, a second runway, expanded airfield systems, and a full airport city designed to elevate JKIA into one of Africa’s top international gateways. The Integrated Master Plan 2025–2045 arrives at a crucial time for JKIA, long hampered by deteriorating structures, safety shortfalls, chronic congestion, and stiff competition from modern, well-equipped airports in Addis Ababa, Kigali and Dar es Salaam. Passenger numbers are expected to more than double — from 8.6 million in 2024 to over 22 million by 2045 — growth experts say the current facilities cannot sustain.

New terminal and runway vision

According to the new blueprint, the centrepiece is a modern terminal capable of processing at least 10 million travellers in its initial phase, expandable to 15 million. The X-shaped design incorporates four piers, a central processing hall, expanded security and immigration points, enhanced commercial space, and fully separated domestic and international operations. It is intended to replace JKIA’s overstretched mix of ageing buildings that have long struggled with rising demand. The project also includes a second full-length runway, ending JKIA’s risky over-dependence on its single 06/24 runway, which has suffered growing fatigue.

The parallel runway will support simultaneous take-offs and landings, minimise delays, and strengthen operational resilience during emergencies or maintenance — challenges that have repeatedly disrupted airport functions in recent years. Even before its completion, KAA intends to roll out immediate airfield upgrades, including new rapid-exit taxiways and a partial parallel taxiway to ease congestion.

“We are beginning with improvements to the existing terminal, and the consultant is already assessing how quickly passengers can be processed as we proceed with the new terminal,” KAA acting managing director Dr Mohamud Gedi said. The announcement follows President William Ruto’s recent State of the Nation Address, in which he issued his strongest acknowledgement yet of JKIA’s deteriorating condition.

He told Parliament that the airport had reached a point where “piecemeal repairs can no longer sustain safe, modern operations,” warning that years of deferred repairs had left critical systems “dangerously outdated” and unfit for a regional hub. He added that breakdowns — from power failures and dysfunctional baggage systems to leaking roofs and recurring airside defects — were symptoms of deeper structural decay. Modernising JKIA, he said, was not optional but vital to safeguarding Kenya’s aviation competitiveness, boosting tourism and trade, and preventing future safety lapses.

Expanding cargo and safety

Beyond passenger facilities, the master plan proposes major expansions in cargo terminals, maintenance zones, ground-handling areas, and firefighting capacity. KAA says the redevelopment aims to correct long-standing weaknesses flagged in safety audits, including insufficient maintenance infrastructure, overstretched fire-rescue teams, and inadequate airfield layout.

The project also positions JKIA as the nucleus of a broader airport city featuring logistics parks, hotels, office districts and a special economic zone — mirroring international airport-city models in Doha, Dubai and Istanbul.

KAA expects the development to attract foreign investment, diversify revenue, and strengthen Nairobi’s role as an African transport and business hub. Implementation will occur in three phases.

The initial phase targets upgrades to existing terminals and airfield operations. The medium-term phase includes construction of the new terminal and expanded support facilities. The final phase will add further terminal expansion, full cargo build-out and completion of airfield geometry. The plan also revives debate over the future of Wilson Airport, Nairobi’s secondary aviation gateway. Options include shifting some scheduled domestic traffic from Wilson to JKIA or undertaking a costly dual-runway upgrade at Wilson.

Financing, transparency and labour concerns

The revival of large-scale JKIA redevelopment comes two years after the disputed Adani concession collapsed following intense public criticism and presidential intervention. The new rollout faces major questions around funding, procurement integrity, and staff welfare. Dr Gedi said procurement will follow the Public Procurement and Disposal Act and pledged complete transparency. The government has begun courting investors for the project.

“This is an extremely important project for the country, and we will not conceal anything. It will redefine Kenya’s trajectory against our peers, and we cannot afford missteps,” he said.

Aviation workers’ unions have already expressed interest in consultations on how the redevelopment will affect staffing, training and job security, particularly given JKIA’s chronic shortages in technical and emergency departments. Kenya Aviation Workers Union (KAWU) Secretary General Moss Ndiema said workers have not yet been briefed on the plan.

“They have not consulted us on how staff will be affected… but our position remains that renovation and construction funds must come from KAA. We do not want them giving away our airport to another entity,” he said.