MK254
JF-Expert Member
- May 11, 2013
- 32,408
- 50,809
Nairobi’s stature as a transit hub to African destinations and outbound flights across the world increased sharply with 800,000 passengers going through Jomo Kenyatta international Airport(JKIA) in May and June.
Out of the 505,454 passengers who landed at JKIA for connecting flights, 240,399 passed through in May with the number rising to 265,055 in June, while passengers who embarked increased from 141,068 to 152,090 during the same period.
While economists have urged Kenya to grant transit passengers free visas to visit Nairobi hotels, shops, museums and the Nairobi National Park among other places, wasted opportunities abound as government agencies have opposed the suggestion citing security fears.
The latest Leading Economic Indicator report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics also showed that during the period under review, visitors arriving through JKIA and Moi International Airports (MIA), Mombasa, were a paltry 76,608 in June, a slight rise from a month earlier that saw 75,028 persons visiting. Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala has vouched on technology use to boost the numbers with greater emphasis made to facilitate installation of free wide area Internet networks within JKIA, MIA, major cities and wildlife sanctuaries enabling visitors to post sightings in real time to families and friends back home.
Up to 443,960 tourists visited Kenya in the first six months of 2018 compared to 443,809 registered during a similar period last year. With the planned commencement of daily flights to New York from Nairobi’s JKIA on October 28, Kenya anticipates a major jolt in transit passengers and tourist numbers.
A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 234 passengers owned by Kenya Airways will be used for the 15-hour flight where 30 passengers will occupy the business class and 204 the economy class.
Passengers will depart daily from JKIA at 11:25pm with a return flight scheduled to leave JFK International Airport in New York at 12:25pm.
Fare on the inaugural flight has been set at Sh87,000 with KQ counters now set at JKF airport.
Last year 1.4 million tourists visited Kenya largely for leisure (70 per cent), injecting Sh100 billion into the economy.
Transit passengers via JKIA in May and June hit 800,000
