Kenya Airport Authority (KAA) has ended the ambitious Ksh56 billion Greenfield Terminal project at the JKIA which supposedly would have been the largest terminal in the continent.
The decision to terminate the project was based on prevailing operational, economic and financial dynamics which have been heading south for the last three years, the authority said on Tuesday. The project was to be completed by next year.
“The Kenya Airports Authority wishes to inform members of the public that the JKIA Greenfield Terminal project has been terminated with immediate effect by the authority,” acting Managing Director Yatich Kangugo said in a statement.
KAA board held an emergency siting on Monday evening after already having stopped the payments to Anhui Construction Company.
Greenfield Terminal Project which was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta on November 13, 2013 was to be the largest in Africa.
South Africa’s Tambo's central terminal would have come at number two in terms of capacity of 12 million passengers and Egypt's Cairo airport terminal three with a capacity of 11 million and Sham-el Sheikh, also in Egypt, with 7.5 million.
However, JKIA expansion under vision 2030 flagship has seen the capacity of the new terminal grow from 2 million to 2.5 million passengers.
In the coming days Terminal 1A will be opened and will increase the capacity by an additional 2.5 million passengers.
“When this is added to the original capacity of JKIA's 2.5 million passengers, the total installed capacity rises to 7.5 million in 2016 against an actual passenger number of 6.5 million, leaving an excess capacity of one million,” Kangugo said.
“It is envisaged that by the time the modernization of Terminal 1B, C and D is done , the total handling capacity will increase to a peak of 10.5 million passengers per annum." Kangugo added.
KAA said it remains confident that the ongoing modernization and expansion of the JKIA hub is adequate and will positioning the airport as the aviation gateway for the region.
