Moi International Airport, Mombasa

Moi International Airport (IATA: MBA, ICAO: HKMO), also Mombasa Airport, serves the city of Mombasa, and is the second most important airport in Kenya after Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. It is located in the township of Port Reitz.

The airport is run by Kenya Airports Authority. It has two runways, 03/21 and 15/33. Runway 21 is equipped with an ILS. It was named after former Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi during his tenure.

History

The airport was originally known as “Port Reitz Airport”. It was built during the Second World War by the Engineer Corps of the South African Army. During that war it was used by the Fleet Air Arm as a land base of the British Eastern Fleet which was based at nearby Kilindini Harbour from 1942, by the RAF which operated anti-submarine Catalina flying boats off the East Africa coast and by the South African Air Force which was engaged in the war against Italy in Abbysinia.

The airport was expanded to an international airport in 1979.

From July to September 1994, Moi International Airport was used almost continuously as a refueling station during the Operation Support Hope humanitarian mission into Rwanda. Empty C-141 and C-5 freighter jets returning to Europe flew to Mombasa due to the scarcity of fuel in the African interior. The airlift through Mombasa ceased by October due to runway expansion work.

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