Walter Menya
7 July 2009
Nairobi — National carrier Kenya Airways has partnered with Precision Air to service the Kisumu route from August this year.
The service will be part of rehabilitation that the airport is undergoing to transform itself into a world class international facility.
The announcement by KQ effectively reversed an earlier decision to suspend flights to Kisumu that was set to begin on July 1 this year.
KQ head of corporate communications Victoria Kaigai said that the airline will continue operating daily on its Embraer E170 jets at special rates of Sh6,000 return and Sh3,000 for one way travel until August when the partnership agreement takes effect.
"The changes in the KQ operations on this route are to allow for the planned expansion and renovation of the Kisumu airport runway.
KQ's Embraer E170 jets which operate on this route cannot land on the available runway space which will be shorter during the renovation period. Precision Air's ATR aircraft have the capability to land on shorter runways," said the statement by the airline's corporate communications officers.
KQ announced in April this year that it was suspending flights to Kisumu from July 1 to November 30, 2009 citing the renovation of the Kisumu airport runway.
The Sh2.6 billion expansion works on the Kisumu airport have already kicked off in earnest with Kisumu Airport manager Mr Joseph Okumu expressing confidence that it would be ready on schedule.
The contractor, Chinese Overseas Engineering Company, has already set base to coordinate the work.
Upon completion, the facility will be upgraded to international status, with capacity to handle up to 280 passengers per hour.
It will handle more traffic, including larger aircrafts. In addition to the domestic flights that it currently handles, Kisumu Airport will also receive direct international flights.
The work involves expansion of the runway length and width, improvement of the drainage system, among others.
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