Cargo flights at Eldoret International Airport have resumed after an eight-month hiatus.Local carrier Astral Aviation resumed cargo flights last Friday, March 8.
The move came after operators under the Kenya Association of International Cargo Consolidators (KAICC) reached an agreement with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to allow the resumption of cargo flights.
Mustafa Murad, Astral Aviation's commercial manager, said the 40-tonne cargo flight will now operate weekly (currently every Saturday) to the Middle East and other countries.
"There is a huge demand for perishable fresh produce such as fruit, vegetables and meat in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
"The ideal situation is to have 40 tonnes flying direct from the airport because the consolidators will cover the cost of underutilised space and if we can start with 10 tonnes then we have more volume in Nairobi when we re-fuel," said Mr Murad.
According to Lilian Nyawanda, the KRA commissioner for customs and border control, the authority is keen to address the concerns raised by consolidators and other stakeholders.
"We are happy with the reopening after the engagements and we have agreed on a framework to revive this airport so that consolidators can bring back cargo flights.
"We are looking at having at least one cargo flight on a daily basis," Ms Nyawanda said on Friday, noting that they will also ensure that "there is flexibility and predictability at the facility".
She added: "We have said that as KRA, we will work with other government agencies to ensure a seamless flow of cargo and quick turnaround at the airport. We want to appeal to the consolidators to play their part by ensuring full compliance".
Abdirahman Bashir, KAICC chairperson, said that they are upbeat that the resumption of the flights, noting they will transform the airport into a regional hub for cargo business.
Governors under the North Rift Economic Bloc (Noreb) led by Stephen Sang (Nandi), Jonathan Bii (Uasin Gishu), and Wisely Rotich (Elgeyo Marakwet) pledged to support farmers to increase volumes of high-value crops for the export markets.
Governor Sang appealed to the national government to expedite the expansion of the airport’s runway, and provision of facilities such as cold rooms and jet fuel station to spur business in the airport.
“We are urging consolidators and KRA to honor part of the agreement to ensure there is stability in this airport.
"We have had turbulences in the last eight months in the cargo business because of a number of issues between consolidators and state agencies including the KRA and we are happy that following engagement agreement was reached this week,” explained the governor.
Last year, the Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen at a forum in Eldoret disclosed the plans to extend the runway from 3.5 kilometers to 4.1 kilometers, acquire an additional 50 acres of the land, put up a jet fuel station and install more cold rooms and safety facilities to handle more cargo flights and meet the international aviation regulations.
He noted airport remains underutilised due to lack of adequate facilities despite handling up to 12,000 metric tons of cargo imports annually that consist of electronics, garments and motor-vehicle spare parts.
“We believe that 4 kilometers is enough to handle any cargo plane including 747 when it is full with 1000 tonnes of goods. We know the current capacity of the 3.5 km runway allows only 55 metric tonnes of cargo plane to take off,” said the CS then.
