THE LITTLE BIRDS OF KENYA
As I entered Nyanuki airport, I felt as if I was entering a club house. It is just on the side of Nyanuki-Nairobi highway and people can see the aircrafts parked around. There is no security around and it is just a fencing covered around it.
I had booked my ticket for Air Kenya flight over telephone. The girl, who had attended my call, told me that my flight was at 10 am and I had to check in before 9.45 am. Since I was driving from Nehruru, I did not even stop for a breakfast, fearing that I would be late.
I just entered one of the two buildings in the airport, which had a restaurant and inquired about Air Kenya office. No one knew and asked me to check up in the other building. The other building looked like an administrative building, and when I asked enquired about the Air Kenya office, the person asked me to meet Marshall, who would be there in minutes.
I guessed Marshall should be the in charge of Air Kenya operations in Nyanuki. A person in his 50s showed up and asked my name. He took out a sheet of paper that was placed on a barrel and pointed out my name in the list of 10 passengers. It was a hand written list. Marshall wondered what I was doing in the airport so early, as the flight would leave Nairobi at 10 am. ``It has to go to three places before reaching here. It will reach here by 11 am or 11.30 am. If you want to wait, you can. If you have some work in Nyanuki, you finish it and be here before 11.30 am,’’he said.
I was taken aback for a moment, but decided to wait. I asked him about the payment for purchasing the ticket. ``You travel first. You can make the payment at Nairobi office and they will issue a receipt,’’ Marshall said casually and took away my luggage.
Soon I realised that Marshall was a sort of porter in the airport and handled luggage of all the aircrafts that landed here. He used his mobile phone to find out what time the Air Kenya aircraft would land at Nyanuki, as the flight had not yet come into radio contact with Nyanuki airport. Whenever an aircraft arrived, Marshall ran to them and unloaded the luggage. Some small two to five seater aircrafts too arrived here. The pilots used to walk across the runway, get into a jeep and drive back near the aircraft. Marshall used to load the luggage to jeeps, which used to drive away.
At Nyanuki airport, it was like waiting for a government bus in a remote village. The flight did not turn up till 11.45 am and I was anxious. I had a bus to catch at 2 pm from Nairobi and I thought I made a mistake. Marshall kept assuring me and contacted Samburu airstrip over his mobile phone. At 11.50 am, the flight landed and it did not take even 10 minutes to be in air. At 12.35 pm, I was in Wilson airport, Nairobi. I had to make inquiries to find the place where I had to make my payment and it was done in five minutes. It was a different experience from other airport hassles like security check or long queues at the counters.
The private air services in most of the East African countries are similar to Kenya. It fascinated me from the first day when I landed at the Wilson airport. The services in the tourism destinations will be rather funny, for those who are not used to flying in the small aircrafts.
When I started back from Masai Mara, I was ready at around 2.30 pm. The flight was scheduled to be at around 3 pm. But, Shailesh Patel was casual and asked me to relax till the flight landed. We went on chatting till 3.30, when he received a message on wireless. ``The flight is landing and we can leave to the airstrip in five minutes,’’ he said. No one, including the people carrying my luggage was in hurry. When we reached the airstrip, just outside the resort gate, the flight had just stopped.
The pilot was the complete in charge of the flight. He opened the luggage boot and picked up my luggage. When I tried to put it myself, he just smiled and said ``you are my guest and let me serve you, Sir.’’ Inside the flight, he turned back and handed over a box of mint and announced that Alex will be his co-pilot from this point. I could not see any one in the co-pilot’s place, till the face of a six-year-old boy peeped from middle of the seat and smiled at its parents.
Most of the airstrips in tourism destinations in Africa would be on a private land. The owner of the land will get royalty for every landing – ranging from 5 $ to $25, depending on the size of the runway. Each airstrip will have minimum 100 landings per month.
There is little or no government interference in the domestic air service, barring issuing of license and collecting tax. The private operators decide everything and the people get money out of it. But, the system is much better connected and well served than any organised set up.
As I entered Nyanuki airport, I felt as if I was entering a club house. It is just on the side of Nyanuki-Nairobi highway and people can see the aircrafts parked around. There is no security around and it is just a fencing covered around it.
I had booked my ticket for Air Kenya flight over telephone. The girl, who had attended my call, told me that my flight was at 10 am and I had to check in before 9.45 am. Since I was driving from Nehruru, I did not even stop for a breakfast, fearing that I would be late.I just entered one of the two buildings in the airport, which had a restaurant and inquired about Air Kenya office. No one knew and asked me to check up in the other building. The other building looked like an administrative building, and when I asked enquired about the Air Kenya office, the person asked me to meet Marshall, who would be there in minutes.
I guessed Marshall should be the in charge of Air Kenya operations in Nyanuki. A person in his 50s showed up and asked my name. He took out a sheet of paper that was placed on a barrel and pointed out my name in the list of 10 passengers. It was a hand written list. Marshall wondered what I was doing in the airport so early, as the flight would leave Nairobi at 10 am. ``It has to go to three places before reaching here. It will reach here by 11 am or 11.30 am. If you want to wait, you can. If you have some work in Nyanuki, you finish it and be here before 11.30 am,’’he said.
I was taken aback for a moment, but decided to wait. I asked him about the payment for purchasing the ticket. ``You travel first. You can make the payment at Nairobi office and they will issue a receipt,’’ Marshall said casually and took away my luggage.
Soon I realised that Marshall was a sort of porter in the airport and handled luggage of all the aircrafts that landed here. He used his mobile phone to find out what time the Air Kenya aircraft would land at Nyanuki, as the flight had not yet come into radio contact with Nyanuki airport. Whenever an aircraft arrived, Marshall ran to them and unloaded the luggage. Some small two to five seater aircrafts too arrived here. The pilots used to walk across the runway, get into a jeep and drive back near the aircraft. Marshall used to load the luggage to jeeps, which used to drive away.
At Nyanuki airport, it was like waiting for a government bus in a remote village. The flight did not turn up till 11.45 am and I was anxious. I had a bus to catch at 2 pm from Nairobi and I thought I made a mistake. Marshall kept assuring me and contacted Samburu airstrip over his mobile phone. At 11.50 am, the flight landed and it did not take even 10 minutes to be in air. At 12.35 pm, I was in Wilson airport, Nairobi. I had to make inquiries to find the place where I had to make my payment and it was done in five minutes. It was a different experience from other airport hassles like security check or long queues at the counters.
The private air services in most of the East African countries are similar to Kenya. It fascinated me from the first day when I landed at the Wilson airport. The services in the tourism destinations will be rather funny, for those who are not used to flying in the small aircrafts.
When I started back from Masai Mara, I was ready at around 2.30 pm. The flight was scheduled to be at around 3 pm. But, Shailesh Patel was casual and asked me to relax till the flight landed. We went on chatting till 3.30, when he received a message on wireless. ``The flight is landing and we can leave to the airstrip in five minutes,’’ he said. No one, including the people carrying my luggage was in hurry. When we reached the airstrip, just outside the resort gate, the flight had just stopped.
The pilot was the complete in charge of the flight. He opened the luggage boot and picked up my luggage. When I tried to put it myself, he just smiled and said ``you are my guest and let me serve you, Sir.’’ Inside the flight, he turned back and handed over a box of mint and announced that Alex will be his co-pilot from this point. I could not see any one in the co-pilot’s place, till the face of a six-year-old boy peeped from middle of the seat and smiled at its parents.
Most of the airstrips in tourism destinations in Africa would be on a private land. The owner of the land will get royalty for every landing – ranging from 5 $ to $25, depending on the size of the runway. Each airstrip will have minimum 100 landings per month.
There is little or no government interference in the domestic air service, barring issuing of license and collecting tax. The private operators decide everything and the people get money out of it. But, the system is much better connected and well served than any organised set up.
18-12-2008
Nairobi
Nairobi
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