More airport traffic after partial open sky policy
Coast
By
Willis Oketch
| Jan 28, 2026
Moi International Airport (MIA) recorded increased traffic in 2025 due increased number of charter flights and transit flights following implementation of partial open sky policy.
Data from Kenya Airports Authority KAA) shows 1.7 million passengers in 2025 up from 1.6 million passengers, an increase of 55,602.
Moi International Airport Regional Manager Abel Gogo noted the increase of passengers and cargo passing through and attributed it to efficiency among workers. “In 2025, a total of 1,718,674 passengers passed through the airport compared to 1,663,072 passengers in 2024,” said Gogo.
He attributed the surge of passengers at the airport to opening up of the airspace, which has allowed additional capacity with the flights flying into the country with more tourists.
The surge of passengers passing through MIA is because of the opening up of airspace, which allowed additional capacity with the flights,” said Gogo.
READ MORE
From Boeing cockpit to truck seat: Building Africa's logistics backbone
France says G7 finance talks 'frank, sometimes difficult'
Africa banks on continental trade agreement to rev up investments
How 300 containers were stolen from Mombasa port
800 youth benefit from 'Glam on Wheels' Initiative
Flower industry loses Sh200m as transport strike hits JKIA cargo
Families feel the pinch as war-hit diaspora remittances shrink
Legal battle brews over new tea levy, directorship
For Africa to move forward, Africans must be allowed to cross borders
Global housing crisis deepens despite policy gains - UN warns
The Coast Regional Kenya Airport Authority boss also revealed that the volume of cargo that passed through the airport also went up as more businesses prefer using flight services.
He said the cargo volume through MIA is projected to drop to 5,132,499kg in 2025 from 4,162,314kg in 2024.
Among the cargo that passes through the airport are seafood, horticulture and even live animals like goats and other livestock. “The cargo through the airport also increased to 5,132,499 kilograms from 4,162,314 kilos in 2024,” said Gogo.
MIA is the second largest airport in the country and, of late, has attracted many international airlines from some of the main tourist destinations in the world. Kenya Coast Tourist Association Chief Executive Julius Owino attributed the increase in the number of tourists to an increase in the number of passengers passing through the airport.
He emphasised that out of 2.5 million tourists who came to Kenya last year, 60 per cent came to Mombasa through Moi International Airport.