In 2014 Government adopted a 20-year National Civil Aviation Master Plan covering the period up to 2033. The Master Plan covers Entebbe International Airport (EIA) and other airfields in the country, in line with the Uganda Vision 2040.
Expansion of EIA is critical to the development of the air transport industry in light of the growing passenger and cargo traffic. The Airport handled 118,000 international passengers in 1991, the year Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) was established. The airport handled 1.84 million passengers in 2018, making a significant leap.
The revival of Uganda Airlines, which commenced commercial operations on August 28, 2019, is a major land mark. International passenger traffic in and out of Entebbe is expected to further grow as will transit traffic. The airline is expected to help promote and grow Uganda’s tourism potential, among others. Major works for upgrade and expansion of Entebbe Airport are at 56% completion level and will deliver a 1 00,000 tones capacity Cargo Centre, a strengthened and rehabilited Runway 12/30, a fuel hydrant line and Farm with capacity to store a total of 23 million liters of aviation fuel and rehabilitated aircraft parking Aprons 2 and 4.
Completion of the new cargo center will enable UCAA to relocate cargo operations from the current facilities. This will pave way for construction of a new passenger terminal in the area where cargo operations are currently undertaken, increasing annual capacity of the current terminal from 2 to 3.5 million passengers a year by 2021.
A Terminal Operations Control Centre has also been erected under the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) programme to ensure automation of operations. This is part of a USD 9.5 million grant by the Government of South Korea.
The deliverables include a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), an Airport Operational database (AODB) system, an ATS Message Handling System (AMHS) and improvement of flight procedures efficiency through Air Traffic Management. A capacity building component including training of Ugandans in Korea and provision of training equipment were also included.
Government has been planning the development of another international airport to facilitate the oil industry in Hoima. Construction of a code 4F Runway of 3.5 kilometers which can handle big and heavy aircraft commenced at Hoima International Airport. The Airport will also have a Taxiway, Apron, Multi-purpose Terminal building for cargo and passengers, a fire station, car park, access road, perimeter fence and electrical centre, among others.
Construction is funded by the United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF). In the area of legislation, H.E. the President recently assented to the UCAA Act Amendment, 2019 which has been published in the Uganda Gazette as UCAA Act No. 7 of 2019. This is critical for Uganda’s aviation industry as most of the amendments seek harmonization of Uganda’s regulations with universal standards.
In an effort to expand connectivity, Uganda has so far concluded 47 Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs) of which 25 have already been operationalized including some under Code Share arrangements. This is an indicator of our commitment to open our skies to new air routes and more air operators.
UCAA and EIA were also awarded the prestigious ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems (QMS) Certificate in December, 2016. The ISO 9001:2008 certification relates to the provision of aeronautical services within the Flight Information Region of Uganda. The services include regulation, licensing, air navigation services, search and rescue, certification of air operators, operation and maintenance of aerodromes, security and corporate services.
Other aerodromes operated and managed by UCAA were also awarded ISO 9001:2008 QMS certification.
I would like to thank the Government of Uganda for the achievements registered. I also wish to welcome Nnyonyi Magazine to the aviation industry. We look forward to its support in especially disseminating vital airport information to the stakeholders.
Hon. Monica Azuba Ntege.
Minister of Works and Transport
