In the first half of 2024, Entebbe Airport had 1,069,224 foreign passengers from January to June and an additional 182,494 passengers in July.
These numbers show that, when compared to the same time last year, Entebbe International Airport handled 226,795 more passengers this year.
The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority’s (UCAA) director general, Fred Bamwesigye, made this revelation during a news conference on Tuesday afternoon at the airport’s VIP lounge in the Entebbe municipality.
527,692 people were entering, while 541,532 passengers were leaving, according to Bamwesigye. In the same period of 2023 (January to June), 842,429 travelers were registered.
At the press conference, Olive Birungi Lumonya, the deputy director general of UCAA and a board member of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), said that these figures correspond to visitors to the nation.
According to Lumonya, a tourist is a traveler whose journey includes an overnight stay but does not extend beyond a year. She expressed hope for Uganda’s tourism industry based on the rise in foreign passengers reported at Entebbe airport, pointing out that a tourist may be an international or domestic visitor.
The increase in both passenger and freight traffic, according to Lumonya, highlights the airport’s significance in promoting international travel, tourism, and trade.
A higher load
However, Entebbe Airport’s cargo traffic also experienced a notable uptick, totaling 32,794 metric tons between January and June of 2024.
The head of airports and aviation security, Eng. Ayub Sooma, declared that exports exceeded imports.
10,414 metric tons of imports and 22,380 metric tonnes of exports were managed by us. Exports have generally stayed higher than imports in the last four years,” stated Eng. Sooma..
In January through June of the preceding year, Entebbe Airport registered 25,951 metric tons of cargo. Entebbe Airport saw 5,741 metric tonnes of cargo activity in July of 2024, comprising 1,618 metric tonnes of imports and 4,123 metric tonnes of exports.
Aircraft motions
The head of the UCCA, Bamwesigye, also disclosed that aircraft movements increased by 4.4% from January to June 2024, from 14,575 to 15,223 over the same period in 2023.
“Overflights were 12,359 in January to June 2024 compared to 11,203 in the same period last year reflecting a 10.3% growth,” he stated. However, from January to June 2024, there were 53,559 transit passengers as opposed to 57,469 in the same period in 2023.
Development of infrastructure
The whole renovation and extension of Entebbe airport is 92% complete, according to general manager Emmanuel Barungi.
As per Barungi, the aircraft aprons 2, 4, and 5 as well as the 100,000-ton cargo complex that was finished in 2021 have already been resurfaced.
“Pending works are on the main apron 1, which has been expanded but standing at 96% completion and the new terminal building connecting the current terminal,” he said.
In an effort to improve services even more, the terminal building is presently being construction on a new business class facility that will include a prayer room.
