Nairobi to get new air terminal

Project will make Nairobi an important regional hub

Construction work has begun on the new $653 million terminal at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International airport (JKIA), following a fire in August that destroyed much of the arrivals hall.

The works are being carried out in two phases and when completed by 2017, the newly-expanded airport is set to become an important regional aviation hub.

The 178,000 sqm terminal will be able to handle 20 million passengers, three times the existing passenger flow through the airport.

Built in the 1970s, the current terminal building has a capacity of 2.5 million passengers instead of the 6.5 million people it handles each year, according to the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA).

The new terminal will feature 50 international and ten domestic check-in points, a railway terminal and a bus park.

Construction work is being carried out by Chinese firms Civil Engineering Group (ACEG) and China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Corporation (CATIC).