Kenya revenues from aviation activities grew by 59% in the year June 2023, as airports handled more than a million passengers , with flights at a four-year high according to local media reports on Monday.
As the aviation sector continued to post recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, data from agencies in the aviation sector show that their revenues shot up from Shs 12.6million to Shs 20 million.
The growth happened amid a growth in cargo and passenger flights to near 2019 levels, just before the pandemic struck, triggering massive economic disruption.
Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) statistics show that flights in the 2022/23 fiscal year reached 335,464 from 300,234 a year earlier.
Domestic flights constituted 202,278 while international flights totaled 76,824. ”
As compared to the previous period, there was increased aircraft registered increased movements by 2.3% from 197,734 recorded in the FY2021/22 to 202,278 recorded in the FY2022/23,” the aviation regulatory body said.
KCAA records also indicate that over-flights-aircraft flying through the Kenyan airspace-increased by 37.77% to 56,362 during the year.
With increase in activity, KCAA notes, its revenues shot up by 46% to Shs 10,15 billion, attributed to increased air navigation services charges, and air passenger service charges.
“The increased activity through the Kenya airspace is attributed to improved performance of the aviation industry and recovery in economic activities from the interruptions brought about by the effects of Covid-19 pandemic,”KCAA said.