Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Guide

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport sits in the Embakasi suburb, 18 kilometres southeast of Nairobi's city centre, at an elevation of 1,624 metres above sea level. Originally opened in March 1958 as Embakasi Airport, it was renamed in 1978 to honour Kenya's first president. In 2024 the airport handled over 9 million passengers and 360,000 aircraft movements, ranking it sixth busiest in Africa by passenger traffic.

Kenya Airways operates as the primary hub carrier, connecting Nairobi to destinations across Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. The airport serves over 40 passenger airlines covering roughly 65 international destinations and acts as a key transit hub for East and Central Africa. A single runway of 4,117 metres serves all traffic, with a second runway under long-term planning.

The airport has one operational passenger terminal building (Terminal 1) divided into sections for international and domestic traffic, plus a separate Terminal 2 for low-cost carriers. The Kenya Airports Authority manages ongoing infrastructure upgrades to handle growing passenger volumes that already exceed the original design capacity.