Wajir Airport

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Wajir Airport is a public civilian airport in Wajir town, Wajir County, northeastern Kenya. It is owned by the Kenya Airports Authority and serves the town of Wajir. The airport sits about 231 meters (757 feet) above sea level and is located at coordinates 1°43′48″N 40°05′24″E.

IATA code: WJR
ICAO code: HKWJ

The airport has one asphalt runway, 2,795 meters (9,170 feet) long, oriented 15/33.

Wajir Airport handles a mix of passenger, cargo, charter, and military flights. It previously saw about seven flights a day, with civil flights (when operating) and mostly cargo traffic. In 2012, a new tarmac was built to allow heavier aircraft to land there.

History and context:
- The facility was built in 1977–1978 by an Israeli company as a Kenya Air Force base.
- In 2006, Kenya suspended direct scheduled flights to Somalia for security reasons; in 2007 the suspension was lifted, and Wajir was used for customs, immigration, and security checks before continuing to final destinations.
- A new terminal was constructed, and operations were run by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority with customs, immigration, and security staff.
- Wajir Airport was officially opened for both passenger and military flights on September 7, 2007.
- About 100 people work at the airport, mostly police officers. There are two military camps inside the airport area: an army camp to the west of the terminal and an air force camp about 0.5 km south of the perimeter fence.
- As of August 2021, flights from Somalia have required a stopover at Wajir.

Location note:
Wajir Airport is roughly 495 kilometers (308 miles) northeast of Nairobi’s main international airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.