Kenya

Market overview

Kenya is East Africa's main air gateway, but its main airport and its national airline are both under strain. Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International (JKIA) handled about 8.6 million passengers in 2025, above its design capacity of 7.5 million. After dropping a proposed concession with India's Adani Group in 2024, the government issued a design-and-build tender in March 2026. It covers runway and taxiway upgrades, expanded terminals and a new terminal adding 10 million passengers a year. The government is seeking up to US$2 billion from development lenders. Cargo, important for Kenya's flower exports, is forecast to roughly double from about 407,000 tonnes to 860,400 tonnes by 2045. Kenya Airways fell back to a net loss of KSh17.2 billion in 2025. Three of its Boeing 787s were grounded for engine and supply-chain reasons, cutting capacity 18% and passengers 13%. For suppliers, the openings are in airport construction and systems, cold-chain cargo handling, and engines and parts to get the airline's aircraft flying again.

Key facts

• JKIA handled about 8.6 million passengers in 2025, against a design capacity of 7.5 million (KAA, Feb 2026).
• JKIA tender: a new terminal adding 10 million passengers a year, plus runway and taxiway upgrades. Up to US$2 billion is sought from development lenders (Mar 2026).
• JKIA cargo is forecast to rise from 407,214 tonnes to 860,400 tonnes by 2045 (Mar 2026).
• Kenya Airways made a 2025 net loss of KSh17.2 billion, after a KSh5.2 billion profit in 2024. Revenue fell 14% (Mar 2026).
• Kenya Airways capacity fell 18% and passengers 13% in 2025, with three 787-8s grounded (Mar 2026).

Key figures

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0).

Did you know

Kenya is one of the world's largest exporters of cut flowers, most of them flown out of Nairobi.