Kisumu Airport Resumes International Services after five decades of "silence"

The beautiful Western Kenyan capital of Kisumu has once again opened its skies to the world with Jetlink now offering flights from Kisumu to Mwanza Tanzania.Kisumu used to be the gateway to Kenya in the 30s and 40s with now defunct Imperial Airways and South African Airways offering flights from South Africa to the lake side city.

Kisumu City

Photo Courtesy:This travel blog

The airport however rapidly lost its importance with the emergence of Nairobi and Mombasa as major commercial and tourist hubs respectively and the politico-economic marginalization of the region in the succeeding decades.It has been handling domestic flights since.The launch of the Jetlink flights is a major boost and vote of confidence in the airport  given its strategic and central location in the East African Community and COMESA region

The launch of international flights will be a boon to horticultural and the fish industry as produce can now access international markets directly without incurring the extra cost of transporting them to Nairobi.
The new Kisumu airport would put Kisumu on a par with regional centres such as JKIA, Entebbe in Uganda and Mwanza in Tanzania, which receive direct international flights.

International consultants and senior KAA officials launched the bidding for the construction work last year.
According to the Kenya Airports Authority,Kisumu airport will be able to handle 200,000 passengers and be a formidable cargo transit point into the Great Lakes region and beyond.
The onus is now on the residents of the lakeside city to take full advantage this exciting opportunity and build the small city into a regional hub.