Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has introduced new baggage rules for passengers travelling to Nairobi, barring them from attaching their luggage to that of other travellers before arriving at the airport.Kenyans.co.ke has learnt that under the new system, any bags found linked together at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) will be separated and returned to their owners at the passengers’ own expense.“Passengers travelling to Nairobi have also been advised against attaching their luggage to that of other passengers. Any such baggage found at the airport will be returned at the passenger’s own cost,” the government confirmed.The directive targets irregular baggage-handling practices, including cases where commercial goods are presented as passenger luggage to circumvent airline baggage limits and established procedures.The practice can also allow some traders to avoid taxes payable to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) on goods that should instead be declared and processed as commercial shipments.The directive now requires airlines to ensure baggage is properly identified and processed either as passenger luggage or cargo, with cargo passing through designated terminals.Operators facilitating cargo movement outside authorized channels risk regulatory action, including suspension, as authorities move to enforce baggage requirements set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).A raft of measures have also been taken, including the deployment of the Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) to improve the identification and management of arriving and departing domestic and international flights.Going forward, JKIA terminals will accommodate a centralized airline check-in and passenger screening system, alongside clearer terminal arrangements primarily dedicated to arrivals and departures.The government is also advancing the Advanced Passenger Registration (APR) system, with associated data-control facilities expected to become operational within the next month.JKIA currently handles about 8.8 million passengers and more than 358 kilotonnes of cargo annually, while optimization targets raising passenger capacity from eight million to 12 million.With this in mind, the construction of the new terminal, which has begun, KAA says, will take exactly 54 months at a cost of Ksh154.2 billion, as part of the whole JKIA modernisation program In the grand scheme of things, the government said the measures are intended to improve passenger experience and operational efficiency at Kenya’s main international airport.
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