Newly modernized Garissa Airport opens doors | maiden flights links to the Wilson terminal of Nairobi
Garissa the eastern county of Kenya, now boasts its own Airport.
The Garissa airport located in the eastern parts of Kenya has officially reopened for full commercial operations after the modernization project which took slightly more than 12 months.
Skyward was the first airline to test the runaway.
The Airport refurbishment cost around 750 million Kenyan shillings which can be translated to USD 5.5 million.
The construction expenses were jointly funded by the Central Government and the Garissa County government.
Garissa precinct is a county in the Eastern parts of Kenya located bordering Somalia further to the East, Wajir County and Isiolo County to the North, Tana River County to the West, Lamu County to the South and the Indian Ocean.
The country’s capital and largest urban area is Garissa.
The Garissa county itself was essentially created by the 2010 Constitution of Kenya as a new unit of the devolved government.
Before the 2010 constitution reforms in Kenya, Garissa County used to be part of the North Eastern Province
The first commercial scheduled passenger services at Garissa resumed on August 12.
The flight was operated by Skyward Airlines.
It is now scheduled to commute four-times a week from Nairobi Wilson Airport using the DHC-8-100 and DHC-8-Q200 equipment, according to official reports from Garissa.
The inaugural flight was conducted with the De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Q200 5Y-SKO (MSN 452), as could be seen from the terminal.
Skyward Airlines’ Chief Executive Officer, Diana Nyambura told the country’s media outlets that the new route is part of the airline’s efforts to address connectivity gaps and support economic activity across the country.
On the other hand, the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), which operates the termina said the revamp of Garissa airport included the extension of the runway from 1,200 to 1,280 meters, the construction of two taxiways, VIP halls, check‑in areas, a special prayer area, and a larger apron to accommodate more aircraft and improve efficiency.
The upgrade is part of the Kenya Airports Authority’s broader programme to modernize regional aviation infrastructure across the less served areas of the East African country.