The new terminal building at Entebbe. The Cargo Centre will have the capacity to handle 100,000 metric tonnes annually
Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) has provided an update on the ongoing expansion works at Entebbe International Airport.
During a meeting between Parliament’s Committee on National Economy and UCAA on Tuesday February 14, 2023, CAA officials led by its Director General, Fred Bamwesigye, explained the works accomplished on different ongoing infrastructure projects, with the aid of the US $199, 990,416 (UShs733.7bn) loan.
The loan was obtained from Export-Import Bank of China in 2016 to assist UCAA to provide and upgrade infrastructure and facilities to modern systems, provide relaxing utilities to passengers and attract revenue for Entebbe International Airport.
The project commencement date was 10th May 2016 and was expected to be completed on 9th May 2021.
However, documents before the National Economy Committee indicate that the completion date has since been revised twice and the contract with China Communications Construction Company is now expected to end on 5th July 2024.
Fred Bamwesigye, the Director General at UCAA revealed an accomplishment of 99.5 percent of the construction of the new cargo centre, 100 percent for the airside service road, 99.8 percent of the cargo center access road – South and East, 100 percent progress for street lighting, additional cold and freezer room and others.
The construction of the new passenger terminal building is assessed at 8.7 percent, strengthening and expansion of Apron 1 at 84.7 percent.
The new Cargo Centre has the capacity to handle 100,000 metric tonnes annually.
However, MPs said that the loan accessed by UCAA had different components and that the committee needed a detailed report on each and the money spent.
The Committee Vice Chairperson, Robert Migadde, directed that the UCAA alongside other agencies under the Ministry of Works and Transport be scheduled for a meeting on a later date to give proper accountability of the money spent on different infrastructural works.
It’s important to note that most of the completed works such as runways, taxiways, and parking aprons are already operational.
Modest renovations of Entebbe International Airport over the years have helped to keep it running, but the infrastructure has been overstretched as passenger traffic rose from 118,000 international passengers in 1991 to 1.98 million passengers in 2019, prior to Covid-19.
It is estimated that cargo transport through Entebbe airport will grow at a rate of 6.5% per year and continue to do so for the next 17 years.
According to the 20-year National Civil Aviation Master Plan, travel between Uganda and the rest of the world will grow rapidly over the next five years, requiring better infrastructure to make Entebbe the regional tourism and logistics hub.
The government mooted the idea of expanding the airport into a modern aviation hub as it sought to take advantage of fledgling tourism and export markets in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
