Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport plans to begin construction of a US$500 million terminal early next year to meet a forecast increase in passenger numbers.

The terminal, the first expansion at the airport since 1978, will have the capacity to handle 20 million passengers, the chairman of the Kenya Airports Authority, Martin Wambora, told reporters today in the capital, Nairobi.

The tender for the project will be advertized on June 23, with bids expected in September, the authority said in a statement handed to reporters. The project, which will include a railway terminal, 60 check-in counters and 40 boarding gates, will take about 24 months to complete, according to the statement.

The airport is forecast to handle 6.03 million passengers this year, up from 5.5 million in 2010. That number is expected to rise to 38 million by 2030, Lucy Mbugua, the general manager for marketing and business development at the airports authority, told reporters.

Revenue generated by the airport in the 12 months through June rose to 5.97 billion shillings (US$66.1 million) from 5.05 billion shillings a year earlier, Mbugua said.

The new terminal is expected to generate revenue of US$111 million in the first year of operation, with an annual growth estimated at 10 percent, general manager for projects and engineering services, Philemon Chamwada, told reporters.