Authority to partially close JKIA runway for repairs
A Kenya Airways plane at JKIA. The Kenya Airports Authority will partially close the runway during off-peak for rehabilitation. PHOTO | FILE
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The daily temporary closure will allow for the rehabilitation of the existing pavement which has been worn out and has become increasingly inefficient. The 12 month long works will also include rehabilitation of the taxiways and apron.
Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) will partially close the runway at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport during off-peak for rehabilitation as part of the ongoing expansion and modernisation works at the facility.
The landing strip will be closed daily between midnight and 6am beginning April 1 to the same date in 2016, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority.
The daily temporary closure will allow for rehabilitation of the existing pavement which is worn out and has become increasingly inefficient. The 12 month long works will also include rehabilitation of the taxiways and apron.
According to the KAA managing director Lucy Mbugua, discussions have been held with all airlines operating at JKIA and measures put in place to ensure smooth operation.
“These works will be properly coordinated to avoid disruption of normal operations at the facility. The airport will be coordinated and aircraft will require slots to operate to and from JKIA,” said Ms Mbugua.
The MD noted that a slots manager has been engaged and will be responsible for ensuring that all airlines obey the slots schedule, adding that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has been notified and has circulated this information internationally.
Mr Francis Ngigi, the lead engineer of restoration projects at KAA says work on a second runway for the airport is also underway although the project is still in the design phase and that actual construction will begin later in the year.
The runway, which is made of tarmac, was constructed in 1978 and was last resurfaced in 1992. Normally tarmac has a recommended life of 15 years before it is due for resurfacing.
Mr Ngigi said that the planned works would increase pavement life and enhance operational safety at JKIA by resurfacing runway and repairing pavements on the taxiways and apron.
“We also aim to increase the runway capacity by constructing of rapid exit taxiways and extension of parallel taxiway to the end of the runway,” he said.
The JKIA runway is 4,117 meters long and 45 meters wide with 15 meters paved shoulders, making it a code E runway that can handle wide body aircrafts, including the Boeing B747.
JKIA was built in the 1970s to handle 2.5 million passengers annually but is struggling to handle more than six million people a year as its regional importance grows.
