PRESIDENT KIBAKI COMMISSIONS NEW ISIOLO AIRPORT PHASE ONE
President Mwai Kibaki yesterday formally opened the first phase of the new airport in Isiolo. A new hard surface runway of 1.4 kilometres is the first visible sign of the new airport taking shape, due to be expanded to cater for larger jets in the future but for now good enough to accommodate landings and take offs of twin engine turboprops like the ATR or the Bombardier Q series and smaller corporate jets in use in Kenya.
Construction of a new passenger terminal, able to handle up to 600.000 travelers a year, has also gone underway and is expected to be ready for opening in 2+ years from now.
The Isiolo airport is part of crucial infrastructure being created to fulfill Kenya’s Vision 2030 which sees Isiolo upgraded to a resort city, along the corridor of LAPSSET, which will connect the new port in Lamu with South Sudan and Ethiopia by highway, railway and pipeline.
Isiolo is the gateway to one of Kenya’s leading conservancies, Lewa Downs, but also the Samburu National Park, the Buffalo Springs Game Reserve and the Shaba Game Reserve, and beyond Archer’s post by road to Marsabit or the Matthews Range, a pristine wilderness area little explored so far but well know among adventure travelers and of course the acclaimed Kitich Camp by Cheli & Peacock. While airstrips, often grass, dirt or murram surfaced, do exist at Lewa Downs and near a number of camps and lodges, and the airstrip in Samburu itself is tarmacked, it will be the ability to fly larger planes to Isiolo which might bring airfares down and allow greater visitor numbers to see the parks in a part of Kenya formerly known and the ‘Northern Frontier District’.
Present at the function was Kenya Airport Authority CEO Stephen Gichuki and other government officials as well as tourism stakeholders with an interest in the wider area the new airport will serve.
Watch this space for regular and breaking aviation news from Eastern Africa.
3 Responses
This new airport is going to be interesting to see how it develops! Tourism and Miraa the stimulant stork of a small tree, exported!
Lewa Downs is really known these days as Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, and is doing great things, and supporting through the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) over 26 Communities in 20,000 square kilometres with Security, Wildlife Conservation, better trading of Livestock, and livelihoods.
In the Matthews Range is also a well established small lodge Sarara which is doing lots of great activities to support the local Samburu clans of Naminyak Group Ranch.
All in all, a lot of positive things happening in Northern Kenya.
Hi
It also makes it more easy to get ivory out of Kenya. ?
Kind regards
Bo (Denmark)
Fra: Wolfganghthome’s Blog [mailto:comment-reply@wordpress.com]
Sendt: 9. februar 2013 03:46
Til: Bo Finn Poulsen
Emne: [New post] President Kibaki commissions phase one of new Isiolo airport
Aviation, tourism, travel and conservation news – DAILY from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands posted: “PRESIDENT KIBAKI COMMISSIONS NEW ISIOLO AIRPORT PHASE ONE
Going by the number of arrests at JKIA, where a dog unit is stationed and where KWS personnel are working hand in hand with customs and other security organs, I am confident that such attempts would be detected just as they are time and again in Nairobi.
Thanks for reading my blog.
W.