Kenyan Airports Record 625,000 Rise In Passengers: KNBS Report

The number of passengers handled at Kenya's airports rose by 625,900 in 2024 compared to 2023, according to the latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

In 2024, a total of 12,831,700 passengers used air transport via airports such as Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi and Moi International Airport (MIA) in Mombasa, among other airports, an increase from 12,205,800 in 2023.

KNBS did not expressly state the cause of the overall increase, which represented a 5.1 per cent rise. However, the majority of the passenger numbers came from international departures and arrivals, which constituted a 9.6 per cent increase between 2023 and 2024.

International passengers handled increased by 9.6 per cent from 6,644,400 in 2023 to 7,282,600 in 2024. "The rise in the number of international passengers is mainly attributed to the introduction of new routes and resumption of operations by some airlines in the review period," the report stated in part.

KNBS specified this by stating airlines such as Brussels Airlines, which commenced operations to Nairobi, while Kenya Airways (KQ) launched direct flights from Nairobi to Maputo.

Additionally, routes from JKIA to Brussels, New York, Bangkok, Kilimanjaro, and Mogadishu experienced increased traffic. Moi International Airport (MIA) in Mombasa experienced heightened traffic on routes to Dubai, Zanzibar, and Addis Ababa in the review period.

This report comes a day after Air Asia X announced that it will suspend its direct flights between Nairobi and Kuala Lumpur from September 1, 2025, a move that could adversely affect the number of passengers handled at JKIA, viewed as the country's main entry point by air.

Still, the increase in the demand for air travel is pushing the government to come up with ways of expanding major airports in Kenya. On April 9, 2025, Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir told the Senate that the government is actively working on upgrading Moi International Airport and Eldoret International Airport, stating that those expansion plans are key to boosting the airports' capacity, allowing them to handle more airlines and passengers.

On Tuesday, April 22, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi met senior officials of the Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) International on the sidelines of President William Ruto's China State Visit, with the JKIA expansion the main agenda of the meeting.

Cargo

In terms of the volume of commercial cargo and mail handled at Kenyan airports, total cargo throughput in the airports declined from 379,500,600 tonnes in 2023 to 372,993,000 tonnes in 2024. However, the share of exports in total throughput increased from 82.9 per cent in 2023 to 83.1 per cent in 2024.

Cargo traffic through MIA increased by 64.3 per cent to 4,806,600 tonnes in 2024 from 2,926,000 tonnes in 2023. This is in contrast to a decline in volume of cargo traffic through JKIA from 372,248,700 tonnes in 2023 to 364,821,900 tonnes in 2024.

Mail cargo traffic through the airports, which has been on a declining trend, dropped further from 600,500 tonnes in 2023 to 594,500 tonnes in 2024. 

Aircraft Movements

On aircraft movements in the Kenyan airspace and airports from 2020 to 2024, the total aircraft movements increased from 357,093 in 2023 to 360,723 in 2024.

However, domestic aircraft movements declined from 207,962 in 2023 to 206,315 in 2024. Domestic landings and take-offs decreased to 103,538 and 102,777, respectively, during the same period.

In comparison, international aircraft movements increased by 4.9 per cent from 85,360 in 2023 to 89,564 in 2024. Similarly, overflights grew by 1.7 per cent from 63,771 in 2023 to 64,844 in 2024.

Aviation Industry Indicators

Aviation personnel licenses increased by 5.3 per cent from 13,030 in 2023 to 13,727 in 2024, signalling the demand in terms of Kenyans joining the aviation sector.

The number of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEL) increased by 8.0 per cent from 1,066 in 2023 to 1,151 in 2024, whereas Student Pilot Licenses (SPL) issued rose by 4.8 per cent from 3,640 in 2023 to 3,813 in 2024.

There was a 3.6 per cent increase in Private Pilot Licenses (PLP) from 2,024 in 2023 to 2,097 in 2024. Commercial Pilot Licenses (CPL) and Air Transport Pilot Licenses (ATPL) issued increased by 4.1 per cent each to 2,159 and 1,663, respectively, during the review period.

"Valid Operational Licenses increased by 3.9 per cent in 2023 to 1,453 in 2024 from 1,398 in 2023. Flight Dispatcher Licenses grew by 12.0 per cent from 426 in 2023 to 477 in 2024.

"The number of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Inspectors and Air Traffic Controllers rose by 13.0 per cent from 308 in 2023 to 348 in 2024. In general, the aviation industry is expanding after subdued growth in the recent past," added the report.

A passenger aircraft flying in the sky. /THE DISCOVERER