Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport | |
---|---|
Characteristics | |
ICAO code | HKJK |
IATA code | NBO |
Coordinates | |
Height above MSL | 1625 m (5331 ft ) |
Transport links | |
Distance from the city center | 10 km east of Nairobi , Kenya |
Street | Highway |
Local transport | Taxi, bus |
Basic data | |
opening | 1958 |
operator | Kenya Airports Authority |
surface | 4473 ha |
Terminals | 2 |
Passengers | 5,803,635 (2011) |
Air freight | 304,067 t (2011) |
Flight movements |
74,639 (2011) |
Start-and runway | |
06/24 | 4117 m × 45 m asphalt |
The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport ( IATA : NBO , ICAO : HKJK ; formerly Embakasi Airport ) is the international passenger airport to the Kenyan capital Nairobi . The airport serves as a hub for the airlines Kenya Airways and Jubba Airways . With over 5.8 million travelers in 2011, it is the largest airport in East and Central Africa .
history
The airport was built in part through forced labor by the Kenyan population in the 1950s. As part of the strategy of smashing the Mau Mau War , large segments of the population (especially, but not only, Kikuyu (ethnic) men ) were captured and subjected to forced labor. Since the government was pressed for time to complete the airport soon and there was a great need for labor, it was common to work the prisoners to death. So inhuman working and living conditions were that there were also some documented cases of suicide and self-mutilation.
The airport was opened in May 1958 by the then governor, Evelyn Baring, 1st Baron Howick of Glendale . Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was originally supposed to lead the ceremony, but was unable to attend due to an appointment in Australia. The terminal was expanded and flight operations started.
In 2005 the administration of the airport announced that it would expand the airport. Since the mark of 4 million passengers per year has already been reached, the three existing terminals are to be expanded and a fourth new terminal to be built. The aim is to make the airport suitable for 9.3 million passengers.
In December 2009, the state-owned operating company KAA received financing commitments of 186 million US dollars (around 156 million euros), which are to be borne in equal parts by the European Investment Bank and the Agence française de développement . Another 18 million US dollars (around 15 million euros) will be made available by the World Bank .
Terminal building
The airport has a terminal with the three areas Unit 1 , Unit 2 and Unit 3 . Units 1 and 2 serve all international departures, while Unit 3 handles all domestic flights and international arrivals.
Airlines and Destinations
The airport is served by numerous airlines with destinations mainly in Africa , Europe and the Middle East , including Dubai , Brussels and Mombasa . The largest local airline is Kenya Airways , which is based here and flies to London , Rome , Amsterdam , Paris , Mumbai , Bangkok , New York , Guangzhou and Hong Kong , among others . Lufthansa and Condor have been connecting Frankfurt am Main directly with Nairobi once a week and once a week with a stopover in Mombasa since November 2011 . This route is served with Boeing 767-300 . As a further connection with the German-speaking area, Swiss currently offers flights from Zurich . However, from October 27, 2016, Lufthansa will take over the direct route with an Airbus A340 four times a week, and from December 11, even five times.
Location and transport links
The airport is located in the city of Embakasi, about ten kilometers east of Nairobi. There is a highway that leads directly to the airport.
Basic data
In 2011 there were 74,639 aircraft movements. 5,803,635 passengers and 304,067 tons of freight were handled.
Incidents
Crashes
- On November 20, 1974 crashed Flight 540 of Lufthansa , the Boeing 747-100 with the registration D-ABYB and the name Hesse during takeoff from the airport Nairobi. Due to an incorrect operation of the buoyancy aids , the machine fell back to the ground shortly after taking off, broke into several parts and partially burned out. 59 of the 157 people on board were killed.
- December 4, 1990 a crashed Boeing 707-321C of Sudania Air Cargo during landing approach about 5 kilometers off the runway from 06 after poor visibility with a power pole collided. All 10 occupants, 7 passengers and 3 crew members were killed in the accident.
Fire on August 7, 2013
On August 7, 2013, the arrival hall and the entry area were completely destroyed in a fire. Travelers, staff and construction workers were unharmed, so there were no victims to complain about. After passenger handling was blocked for several hours, domestic traffic and a smaller part of international handling could be resumed via the undamaged unit 3 of the terminal. On October 10, 2013, authorities announced that a short circuit had started the fire. In June 2015, a new, fully functional but temporary terminal building was put into operation. As a temporary solution, the building is designed for a maximum useful life of 10 years until the newly planned permanent system is completed.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b kenyaairports.co.ke - Facts and Figures (English) accessed on February 21, 2011
- ↑ a b c Wordpress entry ( memento of the original from August 10, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Login required
- ↑ Airport data on World Aero Data ( English, as of 2006 )
- ↑ Elkins, Caroline; "Britain's Gulag - The Brutal End of Empire in Kenya (2014), p. 187f; ISBN 978-1-847-92294-6 "
- ↑ European Investment Bank and Agence Francaise de Développement to provide USD 186m for upgrading Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. europa.eu, June 21, 2010, accessed on May 7, 2013 (English).
- ↑ www.lufthansagroup.com: Lufthansa has added Nairobi to its flight plan ( memento of the original from 23 May 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Aircraft accident data and report in the Aviation Safety Network (English)
- ↑ Merkur Online : Serious fire at Nairobi airport on August 7, 2013
- ^ ORF : Criticism of the fire brigade deployment from August 7, 2013
- ↑ BBC News - Nairobi airport closes as fire crews tackle blaze
- ↑ David Kaminski-Morrow: Kenya airport fire pinned on electrical fault. In: Flightglobal.com. October 10, 2013, accessed on October 10, 2013 (English): "Investigators have determined that the fire which severely damaged the arrival terminal at Nairobi's main airport was caused by an electrical fault."
- ^ Nairobi Airport Terminal , accessed July 27, 2015.