The new terminal building at Entebbe International Aiport under construction
The ongoing works of the new terminal building at Entebbe International Airport are 90% complete, Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) has said.
The revelation was made by Fred K. Bamwesigye, the UCAA Director General during a press conference held on Friday, April 19, 2024 to showcase the on-going works at Entebbe International Airport.
He noted that the Authority completed the Modified Terminal building and opened it to the public on January 10, 2024.
The facility ably facilitated delegates to the NAM/G77+ China Summit and continues to facilitate arriving and departing passengers in a bigger and more ambient environment.
Earlier on, he said, the car parking was resurfaced and completed in March 2023.
“As part of the project for upgrade and expansion of Entebbe International Airport, the major remaining project is the completion of a new 20,000 square meters terminal building, which is connecting to the existing terminal building. Overall, the project works are at 90% level of completion. The other pending works include expansion of Apron 1, which is at 95% level of completion,” Bamwesigye said.
Other earlier completed works under the same project, include resurfacing of runways 17/35 and 12/30 plus their associated taxiways, construction of a new 100,000 tones capacity cargo center and resurfacing of Aprons 2 and 4.
“On completion of the new terminal building, whose works are expected to be completed in 2024, the terminal capacity will be enhanced from the previous maximum capacity of 2 million passengers a year to at least 3.5 million passengers,” he said, adding: “The new facilities and on-going projects are meant to address the growing traffic.”
Flooding At Airport Explained
It ought to be noted that earlier this month, Entebbe experienced a heavy downpour on Saturday, April 6, 2024, which overwhelmed the drainage system, causing back-flow in some parts of the car parking area and the photos, according to UCAA, unfortunately went viral, creating the wrong impression that the situation lasted for a big part of the day, yet the water drained within 30-45 minutes.
“It is pertinent to note that on that particular day, the Uganda National Meteorological Authority issued a report indicating that Entebbe received rain up to 106.8 mm, the highest maximum fall recorded in a single day. Nevertheless, it is also important to note that some of the existing structures at Entebbe International Airport were first put up in the 70s, and more buildings have been added as part of the infrastructure upgrade,” Bamwesigye said.
He added that the on-going construction of the new terminal building has a component for interconnection of the drainage system to accommodate the new developments, and all these pending works are scheduled for completion this year.
“The public is urged to bear with the temporary inconvenience as mitigation measures and all the projects are being finalized for a better passenger experience,” he said, adding: “Members of the public are also requested to be more patriotic and not pride in massively sharing images of that nature, which negatively impacts tourism.”
