Construction of cargo shades that will lead to cargo departures being introduced in Isiolo International Airport has begun. The Acting Managing Director at the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) Alex Gitari confirmed the report and said that the new development is expected to provide a major sigh of relief for miraa farmers from the neighbouring Meru County as well as flower farmers who ferry their products all the way to Wilson airport.
The shades under construction have a capacity to handle at least 10 tonnes of luggage per day and will cost Sh 20million and will be complete within the next two months. KAA is also seeking to extend the airport runway length from the current 1.4 kilometres to at least 2.5 kilometres to enable larger aircraft to use the facility without any hitches.
Isiolo International Airport
Gitari however expressed optimism that completion of the cargo shades and extension of the runway will revitalize the facility, with the main target being the miraa market. The new development will also target meat and animal products once the Isiolo Abattoir is fully operationalized, as well as flowers from the nearby flower farms in the neighbouring Meru and Laikipia Counties.
Isiolo International Airport was constructed at a cost of Sh 1billion. It was commissioned by President Mwai Kibaki in 2013 as part of the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor.
The airport was expected to help transform Isiolo into a resort city under the 2030 blueprint. However, since then, the airport has suffered numerous setbacks including low traffic and poor infrastructure. The facility has poor drainage, which hinders the airport from operating 24 hours. The airport was constructed in order to serve the area’s residents who are Miraa farmers. It was aimed at cutting down the time they spent on the roads transporting the commodity to Nairobi.
