Nairobi Airport Guide

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is East and Central Africa’s biggest airport and the major Nairobi airport. The airport is the hub for most of the country’s aviation activities. The airport has become the benchmark for other airports in the region. JKIA is served by 49 scheduled airlines and offers direct connections to the African Continent, the Far East, and the Middle East. The airport is located about 18 kilometres from the East of Nairobi. Most international visitors to Nairobi have to arrive at the airport as most airlines to the destination land here. This Nairobi airport is also the hub for the national airline, Kenya Airways.

Address: P O Box 19087-00501, Airport North Road, Nairobi, Kenya

Website: http://www.kenyaairports.co.ke/kaa/airports/jkia/ provides information on different Nairobi flights serving this Nairobi airport. The website gives easy access to airport information, passenger information, important airport phone numbers etc. Besides, the website is also a good guide for overall information on Nairobi tourism.

Time Zone: GMT + 3

Terminals: Three airport terminals handling arrivals and departures are equipped with useful passenger facilities. These are referred to as Unit I, Unit II and Unit III.

Airport Connectivity: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is well connected with the main business districts and is about a half-an-hour drive away from the Nairobi city centre.

Cab: Some of the taxi companies at the airport are New Jambo Taxi, Kenatco Taxis, Jatco Taxi, and JKIA Taxis Services Ltd. Bus: Most of the hotels provide minibus services to the airport.

Car Hire: Well known car hire companies operate their services at the airport. Travellers can take their pick from companies such as Avis, Budget, Naz, and Payless Car Hire for swift Nairobi tours.

Food and Beverages: Simba Restaurant is located on the 5th floor in the transit area. There are several cafes located along the departure area. There are ample choices for taking refreshments at the airport with the Java Coffee House and the hotels nearby being some of the options.

Shopping: Shopping plays a crucial role in Nairobi tourism as it does in many other tourist destinations in the world. The experience starts right at the airport, which is famed for shops like Beth International Limited, Glamour House, Goldrock International, Kenya Duty Free, Maya Duty Free, Rono Ltd, and Siamanda.

Airport Hotels: There are plenty of hotels within convenient proximity of the airport. Visitors can book these hotels and go on Nairobi tours with the reassurance that their hotel is comfortably close to the airport and catching flights won’t prove to be a hassle. Some of the hotels are The Norfolk Hotel, Windsor Golf and Country Club, Giraffe Manor, Hilton Hotel, and Safari Park Hotel and Casino. For further information on hotels, the airport’s website will prove to be a better guide.

Money and Banking: There are foreign exchange bureaus available at the airport which are open 24 hours. Two of these are located at gate 6 and gate 11, and arte accessible by both arriving and departing passengers. International arrivals has some more of these exchange bureaus for arriving passengers. There is a Barclays ATM located at the gate 10 which accepts several type of cards.

Left Luggage Facility: JKIA offers to its users the facility of left luggage. The charges as given on the airport’s website are KSH 300 or USD 4 per bag for each day. The 24 hours operational facility is available in the domestic/local departure hall or unit 3 departures.

Shower Facility: JKIA has a shower facility available in the transit area, next to Kenya airways transit lounge on the first floor. The Diplomatic Duty Free lounges also offer shower facilities which are available for a fee.

Tour and Travel Agents: A number of tour and travel agents have counters at the airport and their contact information and other details can be found on the airport’s website.

(Note: This airport guide is based on information gathered from official airport website on the internet. Southall Travel holds no responsibility for any misrepresentation of facts and will not be in any way liable for any kind of eventuality arising from the use of information given in this guide).