Travellers landing or transiting through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport JKIA will now enjoy land-and-leave luggage services following the launch of Airport Mtaani, a luggage handling service under Hala Nairobi, the logistics company based at JKIA.
Speaking during the launch on Thursday, Airport Mtaani Operations Director, Mr Humphrey Mbogo, said the service will ease pressure on JKIA where passengers queue to wait for their luggage. The company will also in turn create employment for thousands of Kenyans in the luggage handling ecosystem.
“Our dedicated team will retrieve the baggage at the belt, clear with the customs at KAA and the deliver the baggage to your doorstep. Passengers arriving at JKIA domestically with connecting international flights will also now have an opportunity to book luggage storage services in our CCTV-controlled storages. Safety and security are paramount and we purpose to only store luggage that have been screened,” said Mr Mbogo.
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) General Manager Selina Gor said luggage handling services will revolutionize passenger experiences at JKIA. The launch will give passengers the choice of arriving at JKIA and immediately leave once cleared by immigration without having to wait for their luggage which will then be delivered to them.
“The growing popularity of luggage handling services can be attributed to increasing complexity and time constraints of travellers and this where luggage delivered to your doorstep makes sense,” Ms Gor said. “The convenience of entrusting your belongings to a reliable luggage delivery business like Airport Mtaani cannot be overstated.”
Travellers can now bid farewell to the hustle and bustle of dragging heavy luggage when they land at JKIA, she said.
Kenya Airports Authority Chairman, Mr Caleb Kositany, said there are plans to expand JKIA due to increase in traffic. He said the original design of JKIA has been outlived by the ever-increasing passenger numbers. Kositany applauded Airport Mtaani services as revolutionary and in line with the ambitions of KAA and the government of Kenya.
“At Kenya Airports Authority we run about 22 airports across the country and we have plans to build a new terminal here [at JKIA] which will be state-of-the-art,” Mr Kositany said. “This airport is 1978 architecture that was designed for two million passengers but currently handles about ten million passengers. This [Airport Mtaani] is a Kenyan driven initiative and we hope that you expand to other East African countries.”
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