Hope In Kenya's Aviation Sector As 2 Airports Record 4,000 More Visitors

The aviation sector in Kenya is finally attracting more attention after close to 4,000 visitors arrived through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi and Moi International Airport (MIA) in Mombasa in a period of one year.

This is according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in its Third Quarter Gross Domestic Product Report 2024 released on Tuesday, January 7, showing that 489,831 visitors arrived through the two airports in 2024.

This is compared to 486,102 visitor arrivals through the major airports, a difference of 3,729 arrivals in the third quarters of 2023 and 2024 and an increase of 0.8 per cent.

"Visitor arrivals through the two major airports, the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Mombasa International Airport (MIA) increased by 0.8 per cent from 486,102 in the third quarter of 2023 to 489,831 in the corresponding quarter of 2024," the report read in part.

Through these arrivals, the accommodation and food service activities sector remained resilient in the quarter under review.

The sector grew by 13.7 per cent in the third quarter of 2024 compared to 34.5 per cent growth in the third quarter of 2023. Visitor arrivals through the major border points increased by 4.2 per cent to stand at 641,900.

The increase in visitors through the airports continues the popularity witnessed in Kenya's air transport sector, with travellers preferring that method as a quicker and safer mode of travel.

KNBS notably on May 3, 2023, reported an increase in the number of passengers handled across all of Kenya's airports between 2021 and 2022. 6.7 million passengers used air transport in 2021 but the number went up to 10.2 million in 2022.

In addition, the number of international passengers handled at Kenyan airports rose by 80.4 per cent to 5.2 million in 2022, with domestic traffic also increasing by 32.1 per cent from 3.8 million passengers in 2021 to 5.1 million passengers in 2022, all these statistics indicate how vibrant the aviation sector is becoming thanks to travel demands adjustable to the digital age and affordability in terms of air tickets.

The presence of a choice in local and international airlines offering varied ticket prices to passengers usually leaves Kenyans spoilt for choice, no matter which destination they fly to, a choice that has been growing over the years with more airlines expanding their connections to Nairobi.

Interestingly, air transport performed better than sectors such as the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which recorded a passenger drop of 50,780 and experienced a reduction in cargo volumes. The report indicated that commuters using train services reduced from 701,132 passengers in the third quarter of 2023 to 650,352 passengers in the same period in 2024, a 7.2 per cent drop.

At the same time, the Kenyan economy experienced its slowest rate of growth in four years as the country faced decelerated growth in most sectors of the economy.

According to the report, the economy experienced a growth of 4 per cent, down from 6 per cent in the corresponding period in 2023, lower compared to 2022 where third-quarter economic growth was 4.6 per cent and 9.4 per cent growth in 2021. That was below the Central Bank of Kenya’s forecast of 5.2 per cent and the slowest rate of growth since the first quarter of 2021.

Growth in 2024 was heavily affected by a decline in the construction, mining and quarrying sectors that contracted by 2 per cent and 11.1 per cent respectively.