The serene lakeside city of Kisumu is about to have an international airport soon following upgrades undertaken by the Kenyan government.The extension of the Kisumu Airport runway and expansion of other facilities is going on according to plan. According to the airport manager, Mr Joseph Okumu, the project is halfway through and right on course.The project is expected to be complete by August.
Kenya Airports Authority is extending the length of the runway from the previous two kilometres to 3.3km. Initially, the runway was to be lengthened to 3km but this was revised to 3.3km.Kenyan aviation authorities are satisfied with the progress of the project and have confirmed that the extra 300m of the runway will be done, indicating that the Government is working out modalities of completing the added length.
Once the project is completed, the airport will handle Boeing 767s, Airbus 310 and 300, bigger aircraft which could previously not land or take off on the shorter runway. The apron area is also being enlarged and this, according to the airport manager, will allow cargo aircraft to land in Kisumu.
Aware that the runway is being extended, some investors are making enquiries about setting up operations at th improved facility. One of the companies, One Jet One, wants to start operating an Airbus 320 in August this year.Some charter flight companies have also expressed an interest in operating from the airport. This is apart from normal concessions like setting up hangars and godowns,according to Kenyan aviation authorities.
A model of how the Kisumu Airport will look like when completed later this year.
There is a firm that wants to start an aviation training school and a flying school. Other firms have expressed interest in starting ground handling business at the airport. Yet others want to build a five-star hotel at the airport. Thomsons Airways, the third largest airline operator by passenger traffic in the UK, has also enquired about the possibility of operating a Boeing 757 aircraft the lakeside airport.
Situated in the hub of the East African community,Kisumu Airport is expected to become a major aviation hub in the near future,interconnecting the various cities around the lake.
Related Story:Kisumu Airport Set for Revival
Related Story Kenyan leaders launch Kisumu International Airport
Kenya Airports Authority is extending the length of the runway from the previous two kilometres to 3.3km. Initially, the runway was to be lengthened to 3km but this was revised to 3.3km.Kenyan aviation authorities are satisfied with the progress of the project and have confirmed that the extra 300m of the runway will be done, indicating that the Government is working out modalities of completing the added length.
Once the project is completed, the airport will handle Boeing 767s, Airbus 310 and 300, bigger aircraft which could previously not land or take off on the shorter runway. The apron area is also being enlarged and this, according to the airport manager, will allow cargo aircraft to land in Kisumu.
Aware that the runway is being extended, some investors are making enquiries about setting up operations at th improved facility. One of the companies, One Jet One, wants to start operating an Airbus 320 in August this year.Some charter flight companies have also expressed an interest in operating from the airport. This is apart from normal concessions like setting up hangars and godowns,according to Kenyan aviation authorities.
There is a firm that wants to start an aviation training school and a flying school. Other firms have expressed interest in starting ground handling business at the airport. Yet others want to build a five-star hotel at the airport. Thomsons Airways, the third largest airline operator by passenger traffic in the UK, has also enquired about the possibility of operating a Boeing 757 aircraft the lakeside airport.
Situated in the hub of the East African community,Kisumu Airport is expected to become a major aviation hub in the near future,interconnecting the various cities around the lake.
Related Story:Kisumu Airport Set for Revival
Related Story Kenyan leaders launch Kisumu International Airport
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