Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir on Tuesday said preparations for the ambitious airport expansion are at an advanced stage following the launch of the international bidding process last week.
Speaking during a stakeholder engagement with the media and project consultants Dar Al‑Handasah, Chirchir also used the opportunity to assure businesses operating at the airport that the government will support them once construction works begin.
“We are working towards breaking ground by June this year. The government will ensure that businesses operating at JKIA are supported as the works commence,” Chirchir said.
The forum brought together key aviation stakeholders, including officials from Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), and provided an opportunity for the project consultants to present details of the airport’s long-term development blueprint.
Among those present were Principal Secretary for Aviation and Aerospace Development Teresia Mbaika, acting KAA Managing Director Mohamud Gedi and KCAA Director General Emilio Arao.
The expansion will be guided by a comprehensive 20-year master plan running until 2045.
The plan outlines traffic forecasts, demand and capacity analysis, development options and the preferred expansion strategy for Kenya’s premier airport.
The plan also details phased infrastructure development as well as capital expenditure and financial feasibility projections.
However, Chirchir declined to disclose the total cost of the project.
“We already know the cost of building materials, including steel to be used, and we have done the costing, but the procurement process is ongoing,” he said.
JKIA handled 8.6 million passengers in 2024 and 8.8 million in 2025, already exceeding its current annual capacity of eight million passengers. Passenger numbers are projected to reach 22.3 million by 2045.
With traffic growing by roughly one million passengers each year, existing facilities are expected to become insufficient within the next three years.
To handle the surge in demand, the airport will undergo a phased transformation designed to expand capacity while ensuring operations continue uninterrupted.
The government plans to construct a new passenger terminal complex with the capacity to handle 10 million passengers annually in Phase I and an additional five million in Phase II, bringing the total capacity to 15 million passengers per year.
At the same time, construction will begin on an entirely new airport complex within JKIA grounds, located about one kilometre from the current facilities.
Groundbreaking for the new complex is expected to begin in 2026, and construction will run for about three years.
The development will also include a second independent runway and expanded aircraft parking areas, significantly boosting the airport’s operational capacity.
Once complete, airfield upgrades will increase aircraft movement capacity to about 63 movements per hour from the current 14.
Beginning in 2026, upgrades to the existing airport will run for about 15 months and will include construction of rapid exit taxiways, improvements to aircraft parking areas and upgrades to existing terminals to ease congestion.
The new terminal will incorporate modern airport technologies such as biometric passenger processing, automated baggage handling systems and digital queue management to reduce waiting times.
The master plan also addresses access to the airport, proposing integration with Nairobi’s commuter rail system so passengers can travel directly from Syokimau station to the airport terminals.
In addition, planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes will be extended to serve the airport, providing alternative public transport options alongside the Nairobi Expressway.
The project consultants, Dar Al-Handasah, are internationally recognised airport designers with projects across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
The firm has been involved in major developments, including Saudi Arabia’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah and several large-scale urban master plans around the world.
Chirchir also revealed that a long-standing land dispute in Syokimau related to the airport expansion is being handled by KAA.
Funding for the project is expected to rely heavily on Public-Private Partnerships as the government seeks private investors to support the multi-billion shilling infrastructure upgrade.
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