Isiolo Airport set to open up northern tourism circuit

Transport Principal Secretary Paul Maringa (in hat) and Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) Managing Director Johnny Andersen (third right) during inspection tour of works at Isiolo International Airport on June 14, 2017. The officials said the facility will be ready for domestic flights in two weeks. 2 A view of the arrival terminus at the airport. Photos (Ali Abdi/Standard)

After six years of works and whispers of grand openings that never came to be, Isiolo International Airport is finally ready for business.

Last week, gangs of workers were racing to put the final brick in place, with the terminal and administration buildings already completed and fitted with equipment.

It is a windy airport - the wind strikes you with the full force of a gale – and a windsock at the end of the runway keeps a steady ninety degrees in the bright sunshine and mild heat on a July morning.

About 280 kilometres north of Nairobi, the facility has reawakened the excitement that first bubbled up when the project started back in 2011 with expansion of the former airstrip to a modern airport.

Its 1.4-kilometre runway can now accommodate large aircraft, meaning airlines and charter services can route their flights direct to Isiolo without passing through the larger airports in Nairobi and Mombasa.

Already, the tourism industry is lining up to feast on the goodies expected from the airport, more so from increased visitors to the region’s wildlife sanctuaries and hospitality facilities.

“This facility represents much more than an airport; it represents jobs, opportunities and much more of Kenya,” said Kenya Airports Authority Managing Director Jonny Andersen during a tour of the airport last week.

Accompanying him on the tour were representatives from the hospitality and aviation industries, trade as well as county officials. The airport is expected to open up the northern tourism circuit that includes Marsabit and Samburu, just a hop over the hills.

“There are wonderful game parks and tourist facilities around Isiolo,” said Sarova Shaba Game Lodge Manager Josephat Ngare. “This airport will make it easier for visitors to come and enjoy what the region has to offer.”

The largest wildlife sanctuaries on the circuit are the Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba national reserves on which roam the big cats as well as elephant, the Grevy Zebra and reticulated giraffe, among numerous animal species.

The expansive Meru National Park to the east can also be easily reached through the airport. So far, Fly540 and its sister airline SAX have set up shop at the airport, a pointer to the potential that the regional airlines see in the region. Other than scheduled flights, the airport expects to receive charter planes ferrying tourists direct to the area.

Built at a cost of Sh1.7 billion, the airport is part of the Lamu-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor project whose main objective is to open up the northern Kenya region through infrastructure development. It straddles both Isiolo and Meru counties on about 800 acres.

Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) assessed the airport’s readiness for business a couple of weeks ago and seems to have given the green light for take-off, with the official opening by President Uhuru Kenyatta.. KAA could not, however, say when the first flights to the airport will commence.

“KCAA were here to assess the airport and I have been in touch with them several times, but I can’t tell when the go-ahead to start operations will be given,” Mr Andersen said in response to questions by journalists.

EXPAND CAPACITY,

Doubts linger within the region on whether the airport is ready for take-off after a couple of ‘official openings’ were put off in the past. The airport targets to handle 500,000 passengers a year, with a large number of them tourists. This capacity might have to be expanded soon, according to Mr Andersen.

“The surrounding counties will contribute to growth of passenger numbers. I believe that in the next decade there will be need to expand the airport’s capacity,” he said.

Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry branch chairman Hussein Jamaa urged the Isiolo business community to invest in planes to reap from the airport’s location.