Kenya
Trip Support
KCAA overflight and landing permits, the 72-hour plan and the urgent exceptions, one landing permit per leg, Jomo Kenyatta and Wilson in Nairobi, Mombasa and Malindi on the coast, and the four Kenya airport guides, from the desk that runs the Nairobi routes.
From the Icarus Jet trip support desk · Built from the desk's Kenya permit and handling records · Last updated 22 October 2026
The working reference
How Kenya works for a private flight
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) issues the overflight and the landing permit. Its standard lead time is 48 to 72 hours, and the desk plans on the upper end because the office is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. A short-notice commercial request can come back in about 24 hours and an urgent medical or humanitarian flight in as little as two to four, but a normal trip is filed three working days out. Permits are requested through the KCAA's own online system with an operator login, or through an agent, and each permit is valid for 72 hours. A local ground handling agent is mandatory for any international or non-scheduled landing, and a multi-stop trip needs one landing permit per landing unless it runs on a pre-approved seasonal block permit. Refusals and delays come from paperwork: the pilot's licence and the certificates of airworthiness, insurance, registration and release to service, plus the passenger manifest, all checked on the first request. Nairobi has two fields. Jomo Kenyatta (HKJK) takes the jets and every international arrival, with a 13,507 foot runway at 5,330 feet, mandatory handling and full customs. Wilson (HKNW), 2.5 miles from the city on short runways at altitude, is the safari and bush hub for the turboprops that fly into the strips. On the coast, Mombasa (HKMO) has a 10,990 foot runway and international customs, and Malindi (HKML) runs daylight operations on 4,600 feet. The desk files the KCAA permits a leg at a time with the handler booked, and plans the safari sectors out of Wilson.
Overflight
Overflight permits
Issued by the KCAA. The standard lead time is 48 to 72 hours; about 24 hours for a short-notice commercial request, and two to four for an urgent medical or humanitarian flight. Valid for 72 hours. Filed through the KCAA's online system with an operator login, or through an agent. The office is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
Landing
Landing permits
Also from the KCAA, in 48 to 72 working hours, valid for 72 hours. A local ground handling agent is mandatory for international and non-scheduled flights, and the handler is the fastest route to a tight permit. A multi-stop trip needs one landing permit per landing unless it runs on a pre-approved seasonal block permit. Slot coordination and the passenger manifest go with the request.
Nairobi
Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta (HKJK)
The field for jets and every international arrival: a 13,507 foot runway at 5,330 feet elevation, about 11 miles from central Nairobi, handling mandatory, full customs and Jet A-1. The Jomo Kenyatta guide has the detail.
Safari
Nairobi, Wilson (HKNW)
The safari and bush aviation hub, 2.5 miles from the city: a 5,052 foot main runway at 5,546 feet, so short runways at altitude are the constraint. Turboprops and light aircraft fly from here into the Mara and the strips. The Nairobi route hub covers the safari and coast sectors.
The coast
The coast
Mombasa (HKMO) has a 10,990 foot runway and international customs, about 20 minutes from the city. Malindi (HKML) runs daylight operations on a 4,600 foot runway, with immigration and customs on site, so runway length decides which aircraft fit.
Paperwork
Paperwork and passengers
Permits fail on preventable paperwork, so the desk sends the pilot's licence and the certificates of airworthiness, insurance, registration and release to service, with the passenger manifest, on the first request. Passengers need Kenya's electronic travel authorisation unless exempt. Landing and navigation charges are by weight; parking is free for the first hours, then charged daily.
Guides and updates
Kenya articles from the desk
The detailed pieces behind this page, newest first, each with the year it was written and the discipline it belongs to.
In Africa, every country is its own operation: Flying private jets across the continent
Permit chains, 72-hour lead times, handling, fuel and schedule changes from recent flights out of Lagos.
Read the guide2026Permits and overflightFlight profile: Lessons from last-minute business aviation missions across Africa
Flight-profile case study of short-notice multi-country African missions, covering permit lead times, Morocco flight plan filing, a Ghana permit rescue, fuel release fallbacks and supplier payment.
Read the guideAirport guides
The airports behind Kenya operations
Runways, slots, customs, handling and fuel on each field's own guide, written by the desk that files the paperwork.
More Country References
Trip support beyond Kenya
Three more country references, written by the same desk that files the permits.
Questions
Kenya trip support questions
Who issues private jet permits in Kenya?
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) issues both the overflight and the landing permit. Operators with a login can file through its online system; otherwise the desk files through an agent.
How far ahead should a Kenya permit be filed?
Plan on 48 to 72 working hours, and on the upper end, because the KCAA office is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. A short-notice commercial request can come back in about 24 hours.
Can a Kenya permit be issued urgently?
For an urgent medical or humanitarian flight, an overflight permit can come through in two to four hours. That is the exception, not a planning figure for a normal trip.
How long is a Kenya permit valid?
Both the overflight and the landing permit are valid for 72 hours, so a schedule change inside that window does not need a new filing.
Is ground handling mandatory in Kenya?
Yes. A local ground handling agent is mandatory for international and non-scheduled landings, and at Jomo Kenyatta handling is mandatory on every flight. The handler is also the fastest way through a tight permit.
Do I need a separate landing permit for each stop?
Generally yes: one landing permit per landing on a multi-stop or multi-day trip, unless the operator holds a pre-approved seasonal block permit.
Which Nairobi airport should a private jet use?
Jomo Kenyatta for jets and any trip that starts with an international arrival: 13,507 feet, full customs, handling mandatory. Wilson for turboprops and light aircraft flying into the safari strips.
What documents does a Kenya permit need?
The pilot's licence and the certificates of airworthiness, insurance, registration and release to service, plus the passenger manifest. Preventable paperwork errors are the most common cause of a delay.
Can a jet land at Malindi?
Malindi has a 4,600 foot main runway and daylight operations only, with immigration and customs on site, so it suits light aircraft and turboprops. Mombasa, with 10,990 feet and international customs, takes the jets on the coast.
What does the desk need to file a Kenya trip?
The aircraft and crew documents, the passenger manifest and travel authorisations, and the stops and dates at least three working days out. It comes back with a KCAA permit for every landing, the handler booked and the safari sectors planned out of Wilson.
Get it filed
Flying into Kenya? Filed from the desk
Send the dates, the aircraft and the stops three working days out. You get a KCAA permit for every landing, the handler booked at each field, the safari sectors planned out of Wilson, and a number you can hold us to.
Contact UsPrefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203 or email tripsupport@icarusjet.com. The desk is staffed 24/7.