Jomo Kenyatta International Airport: A History of Kenyan Aviation

Nov 16, 2025 0

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) is a very important airport in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. It is the biggest and busiest airport in Kenya. Located in the Embakasi suburb 18 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of Nairobi's central business district, the airport has scheduled flights to destinations in over 50 countries.

Kenya Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Many planes fly from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to places in over 50 different countries. In 2016, JKIA accounted for more than 70 per cent of overall passenger traffic in the country. It also had over 7 million passengers pass through it. Domestic travellers through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) made up 40% cent of overall passengers in 2016.

Early History and Development

Discussions about building the airport date back to 1945. At that time, the colonial power-Britain-and its national airline, BOAC, were worried that the existing airport at Eastleigh was inadequate for post-War civilian airliners. The costs of improving Eastleigh versus developing a new airport occupied planners for eight years.

Plans for the airport were drawn up in 1953, work started in January 1954, and by mid-1957 it was found possible to bring the operational date forward to mid-March 1958. The task was by no means straightforward, and many problems -largely of a civil engineering nature-had to be overcome before the runway could be built. An extensive amount of the airport's construction was done utilizing forced labourers, many of whom were suspected Kenya Land and Freedom Army members.

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On Sunday 9 March 1958, Embakasi Airport (now JKIA) was opened by the last colonial governor of Kenya, Sir Evelyn Baring. The airport was due to be opened by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother; however, she was delayed in Australia due to an engine failure on her Qantas Lockheed Super Constellation aircraft.

At the time in 1958, Nairobi was one of the few towns in the world that could boast of a 1965 airport with an expansion option at hand. The number of aircraft movements then was less than 600 per month. The airport architect was strongly influenced by the design of Kloten, Zurich, in the planning and design of Embakasi, although similarities were by no means obvious. Both airports are arranged so that arrival passengers can see completely through the building; the minimum of signs is required.

Renaming and Later Expansions

Originally named Embakasi Airport, the airport's name was changed in 1978 to honour Jomo Kenyatta, who was Kenya's first president and Prime Minister. He was a very important leader for Kenya.

In 1972, the World Bank approved funds for further expansion of the airport, including a new international and domestic passenger terminal building, the airport's first dedicated cargo and freight terminal, new taxiways, associated aprons, internal roads, car parks, police and fire stations, a State Pavilion, airfield and roadway lighting, fire hydrant system, water, electrical, telecommunications and sewage systems, a dual carriageway passenger access road, security, drainage and the building of the main access road to the airport (Airport South Road).

On 10 June 2008, Kenya Vision 2030 was launched by President Mwai Kibaki. Under the vision, JKIA's aging infrastructure was to be upgraded to World Class standards. New terminals and runway upgrades were to be added in phases. The African Development Bank carried out an Environmental Impact Assessment on the development of Phase 1 of the proposed Green Field Terminal (GFT) which was expected to increase the capacity of JKIA to about 18.5 million passengers annually by the year 2030. The Greenfield Terminal project was to encompass the construction of a four level terminal building comprising a central processing area, a transit hotel, landside retail centres, arrivals and departures plaza.

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Jomo Kenyatta International Airport marks one year from 2013 fire tragedy

The 2013 Fire and Subsequent Developments

On 7 August 2013, a fire originating in the immigration area caused massive damage to the airport an destroying two of the three units contained in the building. Unit 3, usually dedicated to domestic operations, was used temporarily for international traffic. Incoming flights were diverted to Uganda, Tanzania, and other airports in Kenya. A new unit (Unit IV) was under construction at the time and was scheduled to open in August 2013, but it finally opened on 1 July 2014 and was renamed Terminal 1A.

At approximately 4:30 am local time, a fire originating in the immigration section of Unit I (used for international departures) rapidly spread to adjoining Unit II, which is used for international arrivals. The construction of the building (it was completed in 1978), a roof collapse in Unit I, and heavy traffic in the area hindered initial efforts to extinguish the blaze.

Following the fire, temporary tents were established on the apron to handle international arrivals. After the fire was extinguished, a preliminary investigation was started. The international arrival and departure units were completely destroyed in the fire. Airport officials have elected to use Unit III (used for domestic arrivals and departures) to handle some international traffic. In June 2015, a new, fully functional temporary terminal building became operational.

Strikes

On 11 September 2024, a strike was held by airport workers against proposals to lease the facility to the Adani Group of India for 30 years. The Law Society of Kenya and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights also criticised the proposal, citing the airport being a "strategic national asset".

Terminals and Capacity

There are two terminals. Terminal 1 is arranged in a semi-circular orientation and is divided into four parts: 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1E are used for international arrivals and departures while terminal 1D is used for domestic departures and arrivals. Terminal 2 is used by low-cost carriers.

Terminal 1A: Has a capacity of 2.5 million passengers a year and three levels, 30 check-in counters, 12 departure gates, ample seating, and food and retail options. The arrivals area houses five baggage carousels.
Terminal 1B: Houses common-use check-in counters, with security check points leading to the departure lounge on level 1.
Terminal 2: Serves mainly low-cost carrier airlines (LCCs). The prefabricated terminal opened in April 2015 with a capacity of 2.5M passengers. It was originally intended to relieve overcrowding. Terminal 2 houses international and domestic check-in desks and boarding gates.

The Kenyan government is targeting over 25 million passengers annually by 2025 on the expansion of JKIA's terminals.

Runway Developments

In January 2017, a new instrument landing system-equipped runway 5,500 metres (18,000 ft) in length was approved for construction at a cost of KES 37 billion shillings (approximately US$370 million). According to KAA's managing director John Anderson, construction of the new runway (which will be bigger than the existing one) was scheduled to begin in 2017. It would have doubled aircraft movement from 25 to 45 per hour. The new runway was designed as a category 2 runway and would have complemented the older runway built in the 1970s.

The proposed design of the project was a 4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi) long and 75 metres (250 ft) wide runway. The current runway is 60 metres (200 ft) wide and 4.2 kilometres (2.6 mi) long. This is an ICAO code F which can handle the new generation wide bodied aircraft like the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747-8. The new runway was designed with fog lights, whereas the current runway is only lit at the sides.

Airlines and Destinations

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport serves numerous airlines with routes to destinations across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Examples include:

Airlink Johannesburg-O.R.
Kenya Airways Abidjan,[70][71] Accra,[70][72] Addis Ababa,[70][72] Amsterdam,[70] Antananarivo,[70][72] Bamako, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi,[70][73] Blantyre, Brazzaville, Bujumbura,[70][72] Cape Town, Dakar-Diass,[70][72] Dar es Salaam,[70][72] Djibouti, Douala,[70][72] Dubai-International,[70][72] Dzaoudzi,[70][72] Eldoret,[70][74] Entebbe,[70][72] Freetown,[70][71][72] Guangzhou,[75] Harare,[70][72] Johannesburg-O.R.
Astral Aviation[88][89][90] Aktobe, Dar es Salaam, Delhi, Dubai-Al Maktoum, Entebbe, Harare, Hong Kong, Johannesburg-O.R.
Cargolux Amsterdam, Johannesburg-O.R.
Lufthansa Cargo Frankfurt, Johannesburg-O.R.
Martinair Amsterdam, Johannesburg-O.R.
Singapore Airlines Cargo Amsterdam, Johannesburg-O.R.

Ground Transportation

The main entrance to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is on Airport South Road, which can be accessed by an exit from the A109 highway (Mombasa Road).

Incidents and Accidents

Over the years, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has experienced several incidents and accidents:

20 November 1974: Lufthansa Flight 540, a Lufthansa Boeing 747-130, crashed on take-off from runway 24 in Nairobi killing 59 of the 157 on board.
17 May 1989: A Boeing 707-330B operated by Somali Airlines aborted take-off and then overran the wet runway and crashed into a rice field. There were no fatalities.
4 December 1990: A Boeing 707-321C freighter operated by Sudania Air Cargo struck an electricity pole and crashed, killing all 10 occupants.
6 June 2012: EgyptAir Flight 849, an Airbus A320, blew a tire while landing and veered off runway 06, necessitating closure of the airport.
4 January 2015: A Fokker 50 carrying six people crashed after a landing gear failure, but no injuries were reported.