Malindi International Airport Extends Operations Time

Malindi International Airport has extended its operations time to midnight. This is according to the Airport’s Manager Mr. Mohamed Karama.

Speaking during a Kilifi County Development and Implementation Committee (CDICC) meeting at the County Commissioner’s boardroom Mr. Karama said the airport opens from 5.00 am to midnight daily adding that national carrier Kenya Airways has already taken advantage of the extension.

 ‘Kenya Airways flights now take off at the airport at 5.00 am and land as late as midnight,” he said. This was in response to concerns raised by members, who claimed that the airport closes too early despite its international status.

At the same time, he discounted a notion that the airport was unable to receive large airplanes due to the shortness of its runways, explaining that the current runway is adequate for the landing of large aircraft.

“The airport is able to receive large aircraft direct from Europe with the existing runway, which also take off easily as long as they are not fueled in Malindi,” he said.

He explained that the large aircraft headed to Europe usually take off with passengers, but they have to fuel at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa where there are adequate runways to allow fully loaded aircraft to take off with ease.

“All kinds of aircraft are able to land safely as they will have burnt all their fuel, but taking off while full of fuel may be a bit risky. That is why we prefer that large planes leave Malindi and land at the Moi International Airport for fueling before flying directly to Europe,” he said.

According to the Manager, re-surfacing of the runways and the building of a new apron at the airport have been completed at a cost of about 350 million and planes are already using them.