The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Entebbe Airport Sets Record with 198,961 International Passengers in December
Entebbe, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Entebbe Airport set a new record in December 2023 with 198,961 international passengers, comprising 104,160 arrivals and 94,800 departures. This figure, averaging 6,418 passengers per day, represents the highest single-day record in Uganda, according to Vianney Mpungu Luggya, the Spokesperson of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA).
The significant increase is attributed to factors such as business travel, the festive season, and tourism. Comparatively, 2023 saw a total of 1,932,000 passengers, surpassing the pre-COVID-19 pandemic total of 1.8 million recorded in 2019.
Luggya anticipates similarly high figures for January 2024 due to the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and Group 77 (G77) plus the China Summit, which is expected to attract a large number of international delegates.
The NAM summit, officially commencing at the Commonwealth Speke Resort Munyonyo, hosts delegates from 120 countries across Africa, Europe, America, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Pacific, alongside 18 observer states and 10 observer organizations. Uganda aims to host between 1,000 and 1,500 delegates during the event from January 15 to 23, 2023.
In September 2023, Uganda’s aviation industry demonstrated substantial improvement, surpassing global and regional averages following a significant safety audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Uganda received a commendable 72.17 percent in the assessment audit, highlighting the country’s commitment to aviation safety.
Entebbe International Airport also recorded a total cargo of 59,000 metric tons during the same period. In 2023, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that African airlines moved 960 thousand tons of freight, representing 96.7 percent of the 2019 figures.
As per IATA’s report, global airlines carried 3.4 billion passengers in 2022 compared to 2.2 billion in 2021. African airlines carried 67 million passengers in 2022, reflecting a 55.8 percent growth but accounting for only 2 percent of global traffic.
****
URN
I used the Terminal on Monday 15/ 01/2024. It was clean, bigger and presentable on global standards. However, the stuff on check points must be vigilant as l saw travelers who do not keep their lanes/ lines and try to confuse those who check them and behaving like they are late for flights. This can be dangerous. But the rest impressed 👌
This is quite an achievement and I congraculate CCA for ths milestone. However as an international airport there has to be a sense of protecting and ensuring health and safety of its employees. The check in staff provided chairs appears to be non friendly and may lead to back ache problems . As an occupational health and safety specialist , I would recommend rseats that protect staff from back injuries. therefore CCA should prioritize the well being of the staff as they conduct there daily activities thus promiting the CCA HSE policy at work.