This archive report was first published on 8 August 2019.
Malindi International Airport has made a significant change to its operation hours, extending them to midnight to accommodate airlines that wish to operate at night. This change was announced by the Airport Manager, Mr. Mohamed Karama, during a Kilifi County Development and Implementation Committee (CDICC) meeting on Wednesday.
According to Mr. Karama, the airport now operates from 5.00 am to midnight daily, allowing for more flexibility in flight schedules. He cited Kenya Airways as an example of an airline that has already taken advantage of the extension, with flights taking off at 5.00 am and landing as late as midnight.
Mr. Karama also addressed concerns about the airport's runway, dismissing the notion that it is too short to accommodate large aircraft. He explained that the current runway is adequate for the landing of large aircraft, but that they often need to fuel up at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa before taking off for Europe.
He added that the re-surfacing of the runways and the building of a new apron at the airport had been completed at a cost of approximately 350 million shillings, with KAA spending Sh300 million for the apron and Sh50 million for the runway.
Mr. Karama also requested the committee and the county government to help secure a buffer zone on the Kisumu Ndogo (western) side of the airport, where people were constructing buildings too close to the airport's fence, posing a security risk.
On the same note, Kilifi County Commissioner Magu Mutindika directed the Malindi Sub County Security Committee to visit the airport and advise the CDICC on the way forward regarding the buffer zone.
