Diani Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Owner | Kenya Airports Authority | ||||||||||
| Location | Diani, Kwale County, Kenya | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 98 [1] ft / 30 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 4°17′49″S39°34′17″E / 4.29694°S 39.57139°E | ||||||||||
| Website | |||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  UKA Location within Kenya | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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Diani Airport( IATA : UKA, ICAO : HKUK) is a small airfield near Diani Beach in Kwale County, Kenya. The airport serves the local areas of Diani, Ukunda, Tiwi and Msambweni. [2]
The airport started operating Air Kenya services to and from Nairobi's Wilson airport as of 2013. [3] Many services used to be private charter, providing tourist access between beach resorts and inland game reserves. [4]
The start of budget airlines that ferry domestic and international tourists back and forth to Nairobi has sped up the development of Diani Beach as the main tourist beach hub in Kenya.
Diani Beach Airport operates daily flights from Nairobi Wilson (WIL) and Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta (NBO), and flights to the Masai Mara, Moi International Airport Mombasa (MBA) and Kilifi.
The Kenya Airports Authority have reported their intention to extend the runway, allowing access to larger aircraft. It is then expected that the airport will offer flights to Zanzibar, Arusha and Dar es Salaam. [4]
In January 2019, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), commissioned a mobile airport control tower, procured at a price of KSh150 million (approx. US$1.5 million), for use at this airstrip. [5]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| East African Airlines | Nairobi–Wilson |
| Jambojet | Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta |
| Mombasa Air Safari | Mombasa |
| Safarilink | Nairobi–Wilson |
| Skyward Express | Nairobi–Wilson |
At 14:15 EAT on 28 November 2002, an Eagle Aviation Let L-410 Turbolet en route to Ukunda from Musiara Airstrip crashed at Mara Intrepids Airstrip after developing engine problems. The crew had decided to attempt an emergency landing, but crashed before landing. There was one fatality, a crew member; the other 18 passengers and remaining crew members survived. [6]
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is an international airport serving Nairobi, the capital and largest city of Kenya. The other three important international airports in Kenya include Kisumu International Airport, Moi International Airport and Eldoret International Airport. Located in the Embakasi suburb 18 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of Nairobi's central business district, the airport has scheduled flights to destinations in over 50 countries. Originally named Embakasi Airport, the airport's name was changed in 1978 to honour Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first president and Prime Minister. The airport served over 7 million passengers in 2016, making it the seventh busiest airport in passenger traffic on the continent.
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