Report Reveals How Air Transport Is Winning Over More Kenyans

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) on Wednesday, May 3 indicated in its recent report the increased popularity among Kenyans preferring air transport as a quicker and safer mode of travel.

The latest Economic Survey Report 2023 indicated 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.

"Passenger traffic through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) increased by 65.0 per cent from 3.97 million passengers in 2021 to 6.6 million thousand passengers in 2022, while Moi International Airport (MIA) and other airports' passenger traffic increased by 41.9 per cent and 31.3 per cent, respectively, during the same period," stated KNBS in part.

To meet the swelling demand, the number of domestic flights rose by 23.6 per cent from 166,634 in 2021 to 205,917, while international flight movements expanded by 31.2 per cent to stand at 70,208. The share of domestic flights to total movements was 63.7 per cent in 2022 compared to 65.6 per cent in 2021. 

Additionally, the number of aircraft moving through the Kenyan airports grew by 27.3 per cent from 253,981 in 2021 to 323,421 in 2022.

"The number of landings increased by 25.2 per cent from 110,706 in 2021 to 138,638 in 2022, while take-offs increased by 25.6 per cent from 109,438 in 2021 to 137,487, over the same period. Similarly, over-flights rose by 39.8 per cent from 33,837 in 2021 to 47,296, during the same period," added the report.

"The increased activity through Kenya airspace was due to improved performance of the aviation industry occasioned by the recovery in economic activities coupled with easing of COVID-19 restrictions."

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.

Some airlines charge as little as Ksh3,500 for domestic flights, which is almost Ksh500 more than the First Class ticket of a Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) train.

With the huge flow of passenger traffic, especially at major airports, any technical hitch especially affecting critical operations such as the runway is almost unacceptable.

However, that was the case when JKIA's runway was temporarily closed owing to an incident affecting a large cargo plane, affecting thousands of local and international flights.

The closure triggered an uproar on social media and across the country, with the issue of the construction of a second runway at the country's largest airport returning to haunt the President William Ruto administration.

Transport Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen promised to address this through the government's plans to construct a new terminal and runway at the airport as an upgrade to combat any inefficiencies and the breakdown of systems.