Kenyan government will commence construction work of a USD 500million new airport in January as the country seeks to enhance its transport infrastructure to meet the growing demand for air transport.

Kenya Airports Authority said that it is finalizing plans to open the tenders by September and work on the airport to begin around January 2012.

Mr Stephen Gichuki MD of Kenya Airports Authority said that the chosen contractor will design, build and finance the airport through a debt to the KAA. The new airport will be located at old tower at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

According to data from KAA, the number of passengers using the JKIA has been increasing in the past years in 2008 the airport handled 4.7 million. In 2011 the number is expected to hit 6 million passengers. In the same period the number of aircraft using the facility has increased from 76,273 to 96,071.

The planned air port will have a capacity to handle up to 20 million passengers, 50 international check in points and 10 for domestic flights. It will also have a railway terminal to ease passenger transport to and from the airport. The airport project is part of Kenya’s Vision 2030 transport pillar that includes building of a USD 19 billion Lamu port and related facilities.

(Filed by Matsiko Mike Steelguru Uganda correspondent)