About Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport — JKIA — is Kenya’s principal international gateway and one of Africa’s busiest aviation hubs: the home base of Kenya Airways, the arrival point for most visitors to Kenya, and the connecting hub between East Africa and the world. It sits about 15–18 km south-east of Nairobi’s city centre, in Embakasi off Mombasa Road.
IATA code
NBO
ICAO code
HKJK
City served
Nairobi
Operator
KAA
JKIA at a glance
Full name
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
Codes
NBO (IATA) · HKJK (ICAO)
Location
Embakasi, ~15–18 km SE of Nairobi CBD
Operator
Kenya Airports Authority (KAA)
Home carrier
Kenya Airways (SkyTeam hub)
Network
50+ destinations across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia & the Americas
Terminals
Terminal 1 (concourses 1A–1E) + separate Terminal 2
Named after
Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s first President
Where JKIA is and how you reach it
The airport occupies a large site in Embakasi on Nairobi’s south-eastern edge, reached from the city along the Mombasa Road corridor. Four roads matter to passengers:
Nairobi Expressway
The elevated toll road above the Mombasa Road corridor — the reason an off-peak airport run to the CBD takes ~20–30 minutes. See the Expressway guide.
Mombasa Road (A109)
The toll-free surface artery beneath the Expressway. Fine when quiet; home of the famous jams at peak, when an airport run can pass an hour.
Southern Bypass & Airport North Road
The Southern Bypass links the airport side of the city towards Karen and the west without crossing the CBD; Airport North Road is the local approach into the terminals.
Not to be confused with Wilson
Wilson Airport (WIL) — the safari and light-aircraft field — is a separate airport ~15–17 km away in Lang’ata, with no airside link. Connecting between the two takes 3 hours or more; see transport options.
Terminal structure, briefly
JKIA runs on two passenger terminals. Terminal 1 is the main building — a connected horseshoe of five concourses, 1A to 1E, walkable end to end in roughly 10–20 minutes: 1A serves Kenya Airways and SkyTeam international flights, 1B and 1C serve other international departures, 1D is the domestic terminal, and 1E is the international arrivals hall where every arriving international passenger clears immigration. Terminal 2 is a separate, simpler building for low-cost and regional operations, reached landside — allow 60–90 minutes to move between T1 and T2 with formalities.
Airline terminal assignments change from time to time, so always confirm with your airline before travel. The full concourse-by-concourse breakdown, map and terminal finder live on the JKIA terminals guide, and the airline-by-terminal directory is at airlines by terminal.
Kenya’s principal international gateway
The national hub
JKIA is the busiest airport in Kenya and among the busiest in Africa, handling several million passengers a year. It is the hub of Kenya Airways and its SkyTeam partners, and the base from which Jambojet and other domestic carriers fan out to Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and the coast.
The connecting point
Global carriers — Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa and more — link Nairobi to their hubs, making JKIA the natural transfer point between East Africa and the wider world. The searchable directory is at airlines at JKIA.
Cargo powerhouse
Less visible to passengers: JKIA is one of Africa’s most important air-cargo hubs, exporting Kenya’s flowers, fruit and vegetables to Europe and beyond overnight — a major reason so much wide-body capacity serves Nairobi.
The safari doorstep
Uniquely among major hubs, JKIA sits minutes from Nairobi National Park — lions and rhinos against a city skyline — which is why a long layover here can genuinely include a game drive. See tours from JKIA.
Who runs JKIA — and who we are
The operator is Kenya Airports Authority
JKIA is owned by the Kenyan state and operated by the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), the government agency that runs Kenya’s airport network. KAA is responsible for the terminals, runways, parking and airport operations; individual airlines handle their own check-in, baggage and flights; and Kenya’s immigration authorities control entry.
JKIA.co.ke is none of those things. This website is an independent passenger guide and booking platform — we document the airport, verify what we publish against KAA, airline and government sources, and sell clearly-labelled travel services. We are not KAA, not an airline, and not a government service.
Runway and development
One main runway
JKIA operates on a single main runway (designated 06/24), long enough for the largest wide-body aircraft serving Nairobi. Running an airport of this size on one runway is why maintenance works or incidents occasionally ripple through the schedule — check travel updates when works are announced.
Expansion: long planned, unevenly delivered
A second runway and a large new “Greenfield” terminal have been planned, paused and revived over the years but have not been built; a high-profile modernisation concession proposed in 2024 was cancelled amid public controversy. Upgrades to the existing terminals continue instead. Treat any “new JKIA terminal” headline as a plan until KAA confirms otherwise.
Development plans change faster than websites. Statements here reflect the position as checked on 15 July 2026; for the current status of any expansion project, KAA’s own announcements are the source that counts.
A short history of JKIA
- 1958Opens as Embakasi Airport. Built in the late colonial era on the Embakasi plains as Nairobi’s new international airport, replacing the older Eastleigh aerodrome for civil aviation.
- 1960s–70sThe jet-age gateway. Embakasi grows with independent Kenya as the country’s window to the world and the operating base of the young Kenya Airways (founded 1977).
- 1978Renamed Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in honour of Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s founding President, following his death that year.
- 2013The arrivals-hall fire. A major fire destroys the international arrivals building. Operations continue in temporary facilities — a defining stress test the airport passes.
- 2014Terminal 1A opens. The modern concourse becomes the home of Kenya Airways and SkyTeam international operations, anchoring today’s 1A–1E layout.
- TodayEast Africa’s connecting hub. JKIA handles several million passengers a year across Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, with expansion plans debated and the existing campus steadily upgraded.
Explore JKIA
Verified by the JKIA.co.ke Flightline Desk
We are a small independent desk that tracks JKIA day to day. This page holds the settled facts — codes, location, structure, history — and flags plainly where plans and numbers move faster than any website.
Operational details are verified against KAA, airline and government sources; anything volatile carries a checked date and a pointer to the authority that owns it.
- Status
- Checked 15 July 2026
- Reviewer
- JKIA.co.ke Flightline Desk editor
- Sources
- KAA notices, airline data, public records
- Review
- Six-monthly, and after major announcements
JKIA.co.ke is an independent passenger information and booking website and is not Kenya Airports Authority or an airline. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is operated by KAA; terminal assignments, statistics and development plans change — confirm time-sensitive details with the relevant official provider.
About JKIA: frequently asked questions
What is the airport code for Jomo Kenyatta International Airport?
The IATA code is NBO and the ICAO code is HKJK. NBO is what you’ll see on tickets, baggage tags and booking sites; HKJK appears in aviation and flight-planning contexts.
Where is JKIA located?
In Embakasi on Nairobi’s south-eastern edge, about 15 to 18 km from the city centre along the Mombasa Road corridor. The tolled Nairobi Expressway runs above that corridor and is the fast route in and out; journey times range from about 20 minutes off-peak to over an hour at rush hour.
Who operates JKIA?
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), the state agency that runs Kenya’s airports. Airlines run their own check-in, baggage and flights, and Kenya’s immigration authorities control entry. JKIA.co.ke is an independent guide and booking platform, not the operator.
Why is the airport named after Jomo Kenyatta?
It honours Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s founding President. The airport opened in 1958 as Embakasi Airport and was renamed Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in 1978, the year of his death.
How many terminals does JKIA have?
Two: Terminal 1, the main connected building with concourses 1A to 1E (1A for Kenya Airways and SkyTeam international, 1B/1C for other international departures, 1D for domestic, 1E for international arrivals), and Terminal 2, a separate building for low-cost and regional flights. Assignments change — confirm with your airline.
Is JKIA the biggest airport in Kenya?
Yes — it is Kenya’s principal international gateway and busiest airport, handling several million passengers a year, and it ranks among the busiest hubs in Africa. Nairobi’s Wilson Airport is a separate, smaller field serving safari and light-aircraft flights.
How many runways does JKIA have?
One main runway, designated 06/24, capable of handling the largest wide-body aircraft serving Nairobi. A second runway has been planned at various points but has not been built, which is why runway works occasionally affect the whole schedule.
Is a new terminal being built at JKIA?
Not at the time of checking. A large “Greenfield” terminal and other expansion schemes have been proposed, paused and revived over the years, and a 2024 modernisation concession was cancelled amid public controversy — upgrades to the existing terminals continue instead. Treat expansion headlines as plans until KAA confirms construction.