Following the completion and commissioning of Lamu’s new Manda Airport terminal building, the Kenya Airport Authority is now pushing to finish the work on the runway which when ready will be about 2 kilometers long.
The new facility was built at a cost of over 160 million Kenya shillings (US$1.7 million) and puts the airport ahead of the influx of more passengers when the building of the new port starts in earnest.
LAPSSET, the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia transport axis, which involves a brand-new, deep-sea port, will be comprised of a pipeline, a highway, and a railway which will connect Lamu with both Juba, South Sudan’s capital, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, when complete.
During and after construction, the newly-expanded airport will see a rapid rise in passenger numbers and aircraft movements, which last year stood at nearly 36,500 passengers and about 3,500 landings and takeoffs combined.
These numbers are expected to double over the next few years, and besides the regular scheduled flights from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport by airlines like Safarilink, speculation has grown that Kenya Airways, once the expanded runway has opened, will take a look at the airport with the aim to launch at some point in the future a direct flight with an Embraer E190 which will then be able to land and take off safely.
Tourism stakeholders, almost run out of business last year when the then hapless Inspector General of Police imposed a dusk to dawn curfew on Lamu town, clearly unaware of the difference between Lamu county and the town of Lamu itself, are hopeful that tourists will return soon. Festivals and the historical value of Lamu, itself a UNESCO World Heritage site, should have enough pull to see the crowds of former years return and enjoy the town’s way of life which today is not much different from half a century ago.
Also along the Kenya coast, a new terminal building was commissioned last year in Malindi, but a long-anticipated runway extension is still in the planning phase. “A longer runway in Malindi could allow for flights from Europe for instance, but for sure would serve as an alternative to Mombasa in case the runway there is blocked. Lamu and Malindi are key tourist towns and need to be accessible by air for tourists and visitors from upcountry. The new port will see a lot of property development coming into play. Considering the rate at which such estates and condominiums are built now at the north coast of Mombasa, you can imagine that the area around Lamu will also see similar projects. They can be residential, or for tourism, or both. Some time ago, people thought Kenya [was] joking about building a new port and creating a new traffic axis. They will soon know better,” added a regular source when confirming the information about the Lamu airport which was received while in fact at the Kenya coast.
In a related development, the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has also received for the second time the accolade of Best Cargo Airport in Africa. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) first won the award in 2011 when it participated in the survey for the first time, while in 2013 JKIA was the runner up. The winners of the awards are determined based on the most votes generated within the industry. The worldwide readers of STAT TIMES indicate their choice through an online poll, spanning a month, and the top two with the maximum number of votes polled are chosen as the “winner” and the “highly acclaimed” in each category.
