Kenya Airways has migrated 11 additional flights to the new ultramodern Terminal 1A at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). From August 21, 2014, the airline will operate a total of 15 flights from the new terminal exclusively set aside for use by Kenya Airways and its SkyTeam partners.

These flights will depart to Delhi, Luanda, Dar-es-Salaam, Entebbe and Johannesburg. Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Titus Naikuni, said that the new terminal’s state-of-the-art facilities will contribute towards providing a world-class guest experience.

“We are excited to increase the number of flights operating from this modern terminal. All the facilities in it are as good as anywhere else in the world. It will significantly enhance the quality of service. We have developed a timetable to progressively increase the number of flights processed from Terminal 1A,” Naikuni added.

Kenya Airways began operating from Terminal 1A on August 12, 2014, with 4 flights. From Thursday, August 21, 2014, the Delhi (KQ220); Luanda (KQ770); Dar-es-Salaam (KQ480, KQ482, KQ484, KQ486 and KQ488); Entebbe (KQ410, KQ412, KQ414, KQ416 and KQ418); and Johannesburg (KQ760, KQ762 and KQ764) flight will also operate from this terminal.

Terminal 1A has the capacity to handle one-way peak hour traffic of 1,500 passengers and up to 2.5 million passengers every year. Presently the terminal can only handle departures but upon completion in 2015, it will also handle arrivals.

The KES 9.3 billion terminal constructed by Chinese firm, Wu Yi Co, started off as Unit 4 before becoming Terminal 1A. Unit 4 closed down for 4 years to facilitate construction work. Kenya Airports Authority contracted Wu Yi in 2006 with an expected completion date of August 2013. Because of delays, however, the new date moves to mid-2014. Would you believe it has taken over nine years to plan and design this terminal?