President Uhuru Kenyatta has commissioned construction of a new US$654 million terminal at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The airport will witness an upgrade to a world-class status. Construction of the new state-of-the-art facility will begin immediately, and the two-phased construction work is expected to be complete by 2017. Upon completion, it will have capacity to handle 20 million passengers every year. Speaking after presiding over the groundbreaking ceremony, President Kenyatta noted that the new passenger terminal is among developments that will usher in a new era in African Aviation. “This facility will enhance our efforts to uplift living standards of the Kenyan people through business opportunities and fostering national and regional socio-economic integration and development. It will open up Kenya to the world and stand as a testament of our openness to global partnerships,” said the President. Construction of the new terminal will be done by Anhui Civil Engineering Group (ACEG)/ China Aero- Technology Engineering International Engineering Corporation (CATIC) JV. The terminal will have facilities such as: 50 international and 10 domestic check-in points; 32 contact and eight remote gates; an associated apron with 45 stands and linking taxiways; a railway terminal; and a bus parking lot, amongst others. Further to the construction of this new terminal other projects lined up include re-design of Terminals 1, 2 and 3, a second runway, and remote stands/ bussing gates. The terminal is designed as an environmentally sustainable building. Source: Travel Daily