Kenya has issued a tender for construction of a new passenger terminal at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) as passenger numbers surge past designed capacity and regional competition for air cargo dominance accelerates. The move signals Kenya’s intent to defend its position as East Africa’s leading aviation and trade hub.
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) announced the tender on March 3, 2026, following completion of an Integrated Master Plan and Feasibility Study in February 2026. The expansion comes as JKIA faces mounting operational pressure across runway operations, passenger terminals, apron space and landside access roads.
Capacity Strain Drives Urgent Expansion
JKIA handled approximately 8.93 million passengers in 2025, exceeding its designed annual capacity of about 7.5 million by nearly 1.5 million passengers. The airport currently operates with a single runway and an incrementally expanded terminal complex that has been modified over time without comprehensive modernisation.
Without intervention, these constraints threaten to erode JKIA’s competitiveness as a regional aviation hub. Limited runway redundancy, insufficient aircraft stands, terminal congestion and road traffic pressure create operational bottlenecks across airside, landside and passenger processing systems.
Air cargo volumes tell a similar story. Freight traffic is expected to rise from 407,214 tonnes in 2025 to about 860,400 tonnes by 2045. For cargo solutions providers serving East African trade lanes, this represents both opportunity and infrastructure urgency.
Phased Development: Short-Term Relief, Long-Term Capacity
The project adopts a phased approach combining short-term optimisation with long-term expansion. Short-term plans include:
- Upgrading the existing runway with improved surface and drainage
- Construction of a partial parallel taxiway
- Addition of rapid exit taxiways to reduce runway occupancy time
- Terminal reconfiguration with digitised passenger processing systems
- Optimised parking capacity and improved access roads
Long-term plans centre on a new passenger terminal capable of handling an additional 10 million passengers annually, with provisions for future expansion. The project also includes upgraded air traffic control infrastructure, expanded apron capacity, modernised firefighting facilities, and enhanced fuel and utility systems.
Airport City and Special Economic Zone Vision
Beyond passenger capacity, KAA intends to develop an Airport City and Special Economic Zone (SEZ) around JKIA. The proposed SEZ aims to attract logistics firms, agro-processing operations, pharmaceutical manufacturers, e-commerce enterprises and trade facilitation services benefiting from proximity to air transport infrastructure.
“The government, through the Ministry of Transport and the Kenya Airports Authority, is committed to transparent implementation of the project and will continue to keep stakeholders and the public informed as the project progresses.”
– Davis Chirchir, Transport Cabinet Secretary
The Airport City model positions JKIA as an integrated aviation-led economic hub rather than solely a passenger gateway. For freight forwarders and cargo solutions providers, proximity to customs clearance, warehousing, and processing facilities within an SEZ framework could shorten quote-to-delivery times and reduce landed costs on key East African trade lanes.
Regional Competition Heats Up
The expansion comes amid intensifying regional competition from airports in Addis Ababa, Kigali and other emerging hubs that have invested heavily in modern terminals and cargo capacity. These competing airports have actively pursued transit cargo and passenger traffic that historically flowed through Nairobi.
JKIA serves as the primary hub for Kenya Airways and Kenya’s main international gateway. Maintaining its competitiveness requires infrastructure that matches passenger and cargo growth projections while offering operational efficiency comparable to regional rivals.
What This Means for Cargo Operations
The planned upgrades to aprons, taxiways and cargo facilities will directly impact turnaround times and aircraft availability on routes serving JKIA. Improved runway capacity reduces delays during peak periods. Enhanced cargo infrastructure supports growing volumes on export lanes carrying horticultural products, cut flowers and other time-sensitive commodities.
Freight forwarders quoting multi-leg routes involving JKIA should track project timelines and capacity additions. Airports operating near designed capacity often experience schedule reliability issues and premium pricing pressure during peak seasons. Expanded capacity could ease both constraints.
Alignment with Vision 2030
The Ministry of Roads and Transport positioned the project as crucial to reinforcing Kenya’s status as East Africa’s leading aviation and trade hub in line with Vision 2030 development goals. The government has committed to transparent implementation with regular stakeholder updates as construction progresses.
For cargo solutions providers operating door-to-door (D2D) services to Nairobi or using JKIA as a consolidation point for onward routing across East Africa, infrastructure improvements reduce operational risk and improve service predictability on affected trade lanes.
Timeline and Implementation
With the tender issued in March 2026 and feasibility studies concluded in February 2026, Kenya is moving rapidly from planning to procurement. The phased approach means some capacity improvements will arrive before full terminal construction completes.
Short-term runway and taxiway upgrades could deliver measurable benefits within 18 to 24 months. The new passenger terminal represents a multi-year construction programme with staged commissioning as sections complete.
Strategic Implications
JKIA’s expansion reflects broader trends across African aviation infrastructure. Passenger and cargo growth rates exceed legacy airport designs. Governments face choices: expand existing hubs or risk losing traffic to competitors investing in new capacity.
Kenya has chosen expansion. The scale of investment signals confidence in continued trade growth and JKIA’s role as a regional consolidation point. For freight networks built around Nairobi as a hub, this reduces long-term infrastructure risk and supports route planning through 2045 and beyond.
The tender represents a turning point for Kenya’s aviation infrastructure. As regional competition intensifies and cargo volumes climb, JKIA’s ability to handle growth without compromising schedule reliability or operational efficiency becomes critical. The planned expansion addresses these challenges head-on while positioning the airport for long-term competitiveness in a rapidly evolving East African logistics landscape.
