Kenya’s largest aviation facility, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport(JKIA) is the 2ndfastest growing airport in the word cargo ranking, according to the latest World Airport Traffic Report released on Thursday.
The report authored by the Airports Council International pointed out that JKIA was ranked second for handling over 250,000 metric tons of air cargo category, after handling over 342,000 metric tons of air cargo in 2018, a 25 percent growth from the what was reported in the year 2017.
JKIA has recently witnessed a significant boost in air cargo traffic to and from Europe, Asia, America, and most recently China and Australia.
“This is what has culminated in JKIA being an emerging force and destination in the air cargo industry. Through deliberate planning and embracing public and private sector participation, the airport has registered a steady transformation in the way air cargo is managed,” the airline said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
In the last few years, JKIA has seen the entry of several modern transit sheds, increasing it’s annual overall cargo to 1.2million tons.
“This award validates our ongoing efforts in improving facilities at the JKIA Cargo area. I would like to congratulate all our stakeholders for their collective and ongoing efforts in making this possible,” Kenya Airports Authority chief executive Jonny Anderson said.
“This is an exciting time for Kenya, the face of cargo is changing, and we are positioning JKIA as the premier cargo distribution center for online commerce companies in the region.” he added.
Michaell Cotts, a leading cargo and logistics company, is currently constructing it’s new shed at JKIA, once complete, the new development is expected to inject an additional annual capacity of 150,000 metric tons at the airport.
Astral Aviation, a cargo airline operating from JKIA has in the last year acquired three Boeing 747-400 cargo aircraft to boost its freight capacity and expand its network.
JK/APA