Nanyuki Airport

Nanyuki Airfield is an airport in Nanyuki, Kenya.

Nanyuki Airfield
IATA: NYK ICAO: HKNL
Summary
Airport type	Public, Civilian
Owner	Kenya Airports Authority
Operator	Tropic Air Kenya
Serves	Nanyuki, and Northern Kenya
Location	Nanyuki, Kenya
Elevation AMSL	6,250 ft / 1,905 m
Coordinates	00°03′40″S 37°02′31″E
Map
NYK Location of Nanyuki Airport in Kenya Placement on map is approximate
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 03/21 3,900 1,200 Asphalt

Location

Nanyuki Airfield, (IATA: NYK, ICAO: HKNY), is in Nanyuki, Laikipia County, in the Kenyan East Rift Valley.

Located on the western foothills of Mount Kenya, it lies only 8 kilometres (5.0 mi), south of the Equator. It is approximately 140 kilometres (87 mi), by air, north of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the country's largest civilian airport.

Overview

At 1,905 metres (6,250 ft) above sea level, the airport has a single asphalt runway which measures 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) in length.

Nanyuki Airfield is a government-owned, privately leased airfield, serving private and commercial air operators. The airfield handles mostly small, light, single-engine aircraft and some twin engined aircraft. Most traffic through Nanyuki is routed from Nairobi, carrying tourists to Mara Serena Airport, Samburu Airport, Laikipia, Lewa and Meru. The airfield is leased by Tropic Air Kenya, offering air charter and helicopter services.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Airkenya Express	Masai Mara, Nairobi–Wilson
Fly-SAX	Nairobi–Wilson
Safarilink	Nairobi–Wilson
Tropic Air Kenya	Laikipia, Meru, Samburu

Services

Nanyuki Airfield is open from 6 am to 6 pm daily, with all traffic reporting to the Nanyuki air traffic controller. Aircraft fuel is usually available. Barney's Restaurant is open from 8 am to 5 pm daily, serving hot and cold drinks, breakfast, lunch and snacks. The gift shop is also open daily, selling African arts, crafts and gifts.

History and development

In the late 1960s, the Nanyuki Airfield was originally along the Nanyuki – Rumuruti Road. This was a grass airfield, mainly used by small, single-engine, privately owned aircraft. During the 1970s the present site was purchased by the Kenya government for military and official business and named the Laikipia Air Base.

The new civil airfield for Nanyuki was allocated along the Nanyuki – Naro Moru road about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), outside Nanyuki, and was named Nanyuki Civil Airfield. At the time, it was almost entirely used by privately owned small, light, single-engine aircraft. The site comprised a tarmac runway and a caretaker's hut.

In the early 1990s, the airfield became home to Tropic Air Kenya – a small air charter company operating single-engine Cessna aircraft and helicopters. It is also a key airport for Air Kenya, East African Safari Air, and Fly540 who operate daily scheduled services linking Nanyuki with Nairobi, Lewa, Laikipia, Samburu, Meru and the Maasai Mara.

Offices and facilities have been built. To accommodate the many thousands of passengers that pass through the airfield each year, Tropic Air Kenya established a waiting area, with a restaurant, shop and toilet facilities.

See also

• Nanyuki
• Laikipia County
• Rift Valley Province
• Kenya Airports Authority
• Kenya Civil Aviation Authority
• List of airports in Kenya

External links

• Location of Nanyuki Airport at Google Maps
• Website of Kenya Airports Authority
• List of Airports in Kenya
• Airkenya Routes