Nyeri County celebrates maiden commercial flight

Travellers can now fly to Nyeri from Nairobi following a successful maiden commercial flight to Nyaribo airstrip on Saturday.

The flight took 25 minutes after it left Wilson Airport in Nairobi and will cost Ksh.3000.

A taxi ride to Nairobi from Nyeri costs approximately Ksh.6000.

The Saturday flight is the first commercial one in the region and is seen as a game changer in the Nyeri transport industry.

The Beechcraft Kingair 200 with registration  5Y-TPA owned by Bush Air landed at 11:48 at Nyaribo Airstrip.

Plans for an even better economy in Nyeri County are foreseen as well as safer and faster travel.

Among those on the maiden flight were Information and Communications CS Joe Mucheru, Lands & Physical Planning PS Nicholas Muraguri, Nyeri Deputy Governor Caroline Karugu, Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu among others.

Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga received the State and county officials on their arrival at Nyaribo Airstrip.

According to him, commercial flights mean that travellers cut down on time of travel while the tourism industry and businesses get a huge boost.

CS Joe Mucheru echoed his sentiments saying the commercial flight is a game changer and the airstrip that was under-utilised will now be of great significance to the county and region.

He challenged the county government and local investors to set up eateries, curio shops and businesses that thrive around air travel.

The Deputy Governor and Nyeri Town MP reiterated that the economy of the area is set to change drastically as a result of the flights.

According to Captain Simon Kimani, the flight duration may vary depending on the type of plane.