Kilimanjaro International Airport

Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) (IATA: JRO, ICAO: HTKJ) is an international airport in northern Tanzania that serves the cities of Arusha and Moshi. The airport handled 802,731 passengers in 2014[1] and mainly serves regional flights as well as a few long-haul services due to its importance as a leisure destination.

Kilimanjaro International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorKADCO
ServesArusha and Moshi
LocationHai District, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Elevation AMSL2,932 ft / 894 m
Coordinates03°25′46″S 37°04′28″E
Websitekilimanjaroairport.co.tz
Map
JRO
Location of Kilimanjaro International Airport.
JRO
JRO (Africa)
JRO
JRO (Earth)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
09/27 3,600 11,811 Asphalt
Statistics (2015)
Passengers 780,800[1]
Aircraft movements 19,758
Cargo (tonne) 3,203
Source: TAA[2]

Overview

The passenger boarding gate area.

Many international visitors also go to national parks in Tanzania, to the Indian Ocean coast, to islands such as Zanzibar, and to Lake Victoria, reflected in the routes of connecting flights. Despite its small size, the airport can handle aircraft as large as Boeing 747s and Antonov 124s.[3] The airport served 665,147 passengers in 2012, a 3.7 percent increase over 2011.[4] The airport served 802,731 passengers in 2014, of whom 45 percent were international, 38 percent domestic, and 17 percent transit.[1]

On 19 February 2014, the governments of Tanzania and the Netherlands signed a grant arrangement to rehabilitate the airport, including its aprons, taxiways, and terminal building. The total cost of the project is expected to be €35.5 million, with €15.0 million funded by the Netherlands and the remainder by Tanzania. The already completed design phase was financed entirely by the Dutch government.[5] In November 2015, renovations began at the airport, aimed at doubling its capacity from the current 600,000 passengers to 1.2 million annually. The renovation work is being done by BAM International, at a cost of US$39.7 million. Renovations are expected to last until May 2017.[1] BAM International is a subsidiary of the Royal BAM Group in the Netherlands.

History

Kilimanjaro Airport opened on 2 December 1971 and cost US$13 million to build. The construction was financed by a long term loan from the Italian government.[6] In 1998, it became the first international airport in Africa to be privatised and is operated by the Kilimanjaro Airport Development Company.[3] The airport facilitates the tourism industry for visitors travelling to Mount Kilimanjaro National Park, Arusha National Park, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Serengeti National Park, and elsewhere. The airport bills itself as the "Gateway to Africa's Wildlife Heritage".[3]

Airlines and destinations

The following 15 airlines maintain regular, scheduled passenger and cargo service to and from Kilimanjaro International Airport.[7][8]

AirlinesDestinations
Airkenya Express Nairobi–Wilson
Air Tanzania Dar es Salaam, Entebbe,[9] Zanzibar
Coastal Aviation Arusha, Lake Manyara, Mwanza, Seronera, Zanzibar
Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa
flydubai Dubai–International
Kenya Airways Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
KLM Amsterdam2
Precision Air Dar es Salaam, Entebbe, Mwanza, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta, Zanzibar
Qatar Airways Doha3
Regional Air Services Arusha, Lake Manyara
RwandAir Kigali
Safarilink Aviation Nairobi–Wilson
Turkish Airlines Istanbul[10]4
Uganda Airlines Entebbe[11]

Notes: 2: KLM's outbound flights from Kilimanjaro to Amsterdam make a stop in Dar es Salaam. However, the airline does not have traffic rights to transport passengers solely between Kilimanjaro and Dar es Salaam.

3: Qatar Airways' outbound flights from Kilimanjaro to Doha make a stop in Dar Es Salaam. However, the airline does not have traffic rights to transport passengers solely between Kilimanjaro and Dar Es Salaam.

4: Turkish Airlines' inbound flights from Istanbul to Kilimanjaro make a stop in Zanzibar. However, the airline does not have traffic rights to transport passengers solely between Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro.

References

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