Ukunda Airport is a small airfield near Diani Beach

Diani Beach

Diani Beach is a major beach resort, lying on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya, 30 km south of Mombasa.It is located along a beautiful white-sanded beach which is about 25 km long and it merges with the small town of Ukunda which is home to a small airstrip...

 in Coast Province

Coast Province

Coast Province of Kenya, along the Indian Ocean, is one of Kenya's seven administrative provinces outside Nairobi. It comprises the Indian Ocean coastal strip with the capital city at Mombasa and is inhabited by the Mijikenda and Swahili, among others...

, Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

. The airport serves the local areas of Diani, Tiwi

Tiwi, Kenya

Tiwi is a small settlement and beach resort in Kenya. It is located north of Diani Beach, and is approximately south of Mombasa. The area is served by Ukunda Airport, and is on the A14 road. Matatus to Diani serve the area, via the Likoni Ferry and Mombasa Island.Tiwi is located in Matuga...

 and Msambweni.

Services

The airport operates Air Kenya services to and from Mombasa

Mombasa

Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....

's Moi International and Nairobi

Nairobi

Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...

's Wilson airports prior 2010. Many services are private charter

Air charter

Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft as opposed to individual aircraft seats...

, providing tourist access between the beach resorts and inland game reserve

Game reserve

A game reserve is an area of land set aside for maintenance of wildlife for tourism or hunting purposes. Many game reserves are located in Africa. Most are open to the public, and tourists commonly take sightseeing safaris or hunt wild game....

s.

The Kenya Airports Authority

Kenya Airports Authority

Kenya Airports Authority is the owner and operator of nine civilian airports and airstrips in Kenya. Kenya Airports Authority was established by an act of Parliament in 1992, by the ruling Kenya African National Union government. The KAA Act, Cap 395, provides for the powers and functions of the...

 have reported that there is intention to extend the runway, allowing access to larger aircraft. It is then expected that the airport can then offer services to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

-Charter airlines:-Cargo airlines:-Other facilities:The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority has its head office in the KAA Complex on the airport property. African Express Airways has its head office on the airport property...

 in Nairobi, as well as international flights to Zanzibar

Zanzibar

Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...

, Arusha

Arusha

Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania. It is the capital of the Arusha Region, which claims a population of 1,288,088, including 281,608 for the Arusha District . Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks...

 and Dar es Salaam

Dar es Salaam

Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...

.

Incidents

At 14:15 EAT

East Africa Time

East Africa Time, or EAT, is a time zone used in eastern Africa. The zone is three hours ahead of UTC , which is the same as Arabia Standard Time, and also the same as Eastern European Summer Time....

 on 28 November 2002, an Eagle Aviation

Eagle Aviation

Eagle Air is an airline based in Kampala, Uganda. It operates scheduled and charter services. Its main base is Entebbe International Airport.-History:...

 Let L-410 Turbolet en route to Ukunda from Musiara Airstrip crashed at Mara Intrepids Airstrip after developing engine problems. Crew had decided to attempt an emergency landing

Emergency landing

An emergency landing is a landing made by an aircraft in response to a crisis which either interferes with the operation of the aircraft or involves sudden medical emergencies necessitating diversion to the nearest airport.-Types of emergency landings:...

, but crashed before landing. There was one fatality, a crew member; the other 18 passengers and remaining crew member survived.