Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

Nairobi's main airport opened in 1958 as Embakasi Airport. Princess Margaret opened it shortly before Kenya's own independence arrived. Much of the early building work was done by detainees held during the Mau Mau emergency, a dark part of its past. It was renamed Nairobi International Airport in 1964, just after independence, and renamed again in 1978 for Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first president, after his death.

The airport grew into East Africa's leading hub, meaning a central airport that connects passengers to many onward flights. Kenya Airways expanded across the continent after its founding in 1977. It later joined the global SkyTeam alliance of major airlines. Nairobi also became one of the world's top hubs for cargo that spoils fast, flying cut flowers, fresh vegetables, and fish overnight to European markets.

A fire in August 2013 destroyed the international arrivals terminal, forcing makeshift operations for months before a replacement opened. In 2017 Kenya earned Category 1 safety status from US regulators. Kenya Airways began nonstop flights to New York the next year. That was the first direct link between East Africa and the US. Debates over expansion and selling the airport continue, as the runway and aging terminals near their limit.

Jomo Kenyatta works from a single runway, 06/24, over 4,000 meters long, at a height of roughly 5,300 feet, where thinner air makes heavy planes need longer takeoff rolls. Terminals 1A through 1E and Terminal 2 circle a single apron, the paved area where aircraft park and are loaded.

Kenya Airways and its SkyTeam partners run connecting flights between Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. The airport is one of Africa's largest cargo gateways, with cold storage for flowers and vegetables bound for Europe. Nairobi National Park sits right next to the field, so managing wildlife near the runway is a daily task.