Before it is authorized to begin receiving aircraft, Kabalega International Airport, formerly known as Kabaale International Airport in the Hoima District, is scheduled to conduct a cargo plane landing test in December 2023.
The major $309 million project in Kabale Sub-County’s civil works began on April 18, 2018, thanks to a joint venture between SBC Uganda Ltd. and SBI International Holdings.
The airport was supposed to open in 2022, but according to Amos Muriisa of SBC Uganda’s public relations department, work on the runway is already 98% finished.
According to Muriisa, plans for a control tower are in the works as pertinent authorities talk about money and time extension difficulties.
Muriisa affirmed that they anticipate having the first cargo aircraft land at the airport in December 2023 during a guided tour of the facility for members of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) organized by the Petroleum Authority of Uganda.
“Before we turn it over, we intend to establish a control tower. Although discussions are still ongoing, we will test the airport in December because, as you can see, the runway is 98% finished, according to Muriisa.
Muriisa has reassured Ugandans that their work is of a high standard.
The facility is being built, according to Peter Muriisa, head legal and corporate affairs of Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), to enable the transportation of goods needed for the region’s oil industry as well as tourism.
“The government invested a significant amount—roughly 350 million dollars—to get this done. The goal is to use it to grow this nation by bringing in equipment, exporting our produce, bringing tourists, and who knows, maybe we’ll even get some regional airstrips, according to Peter Muriisa.
Sheikh Shaban Mubaje, a member of the IRCU team, praised the administration for the infrastructural improvements made.
Mubaje stated that he thinks it will change the way their congregations live and encourage them to start giving larger donations rather than bringing sugarcanes to church.
“From what we can tell, Uganda has a bright future. As spiritual leaders, we wish for our people to advance and say, “I am bringing one hundred bags of cement because of the prosperity which we anticipate in the near future,” rather than bringing offerings of eggs, sugarcane, and clusters of bananas to churches or mosques, Mubaje said.
The airport has a 3.5 km long, 45 m wide runway with 15 m on either side shoulders.
Four of the largest cargo planes will be able to land on the airport apron, which has two turn pads on either side.
The IRCU members also went to the environmental service area in Nyamasoga Village, Kabaale Sub-County, Hoima District, where they are managing garbage from oil drilling locations and doing civil work for Pump Station 1 of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline.
