It is 30 years this year since Uganda Civil Aviation Authority was established in 1991. At UCAA’s establishment in 1991, Entebbe International Airport handled 118,000 passengers and the figure rose to 1,980,000 in 2019, but reduced to 565, 541 in 2020 owing to the effected occasioned by the COVID -19 pandemic.
In August 2021, Entebbe International Airport recorded 81,968 international passengers (33,941 arrivals, 37,419 departures and 10,608 transit) compared to 61,328 in July 2021, 75,472 passengers in June, 77,063 in May and 85,054 in April.
In relation to cargo, while the airport recorded 6,600 metric tonnes of cargo in 1991, 64,731 metric tonnes of cargo were recorded in 2019 prior to the outbreak of the COVID – 19 pandemic and 59,720 metric tonnes of cargo in 2020.
In August 2021, Entebbe recorded 5,154 metric tonnes of cargo compared to 5,871 in July, 5148 in June, 5,329 in May, 5,725 in April, 5,977 in March, 4,766 in February and 4,911 metric tonnes in January 2021.
Over the years, UCAA has registered a number of milestones which include;
- A VVIP facility was constructed in 2007 facility to facilitate Heads of State.
- Rehabilitation of the VVIP Aircraft Parking Apron 2 and Aircraft Parking Apron 4 –Completed.
- Construction of a new 100,000 tonnes Cargo center as part of the overall upgrade and expansion of Entebbe International Airport – Ongoing.
- Ongoing construction of a Fuel Hydrant Line & Fuel Firm. The facility is fitted with the most advanced aviation fuel operation equipment and technology. On completion, the storage capacity will be 23 million liters. Initially, capacity will be enhanced from the current 7.5 million litres to 16.5 million litres.
- Strengthening of Runway 17/35 and its associated Taxiways -Completed.
- Strengthening and rehabilitation of Runway 12/30 – 98% complete.
- Landside expansion of the Passenger Terminal building. Departure area already in use and soon people will have access to the departure road and drop-off passengers by the terminal access.
- In terms of automation there was implementation of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) project funded by the Republic of Korea with a grant of USD 9.5 million, and counterpart funded by UCAA. This, among others, ensured; Improvement of Air Traffic Management (ATM) Flight Procedures, Supply and Installation of Training Equipment and the Terminal Operations Control Centre.
- The International Civil Aviation Organization Council President’s Certificate in aviation security following an outstanding performance in the Universal Security Audit Program with a score of 81.8% which was well above the global average of 73%.
- UCAA is a pilot entity in the implementation of the new Electronic Government Procurement system (eGP). The Authority went live in November 2020.
- Development of a 20-year National Civil Aviation Master Plan in 2014 covering the period up to 2033.
- Acquired a new Air Traffic Control Radar in 2007 and upgraded it in 2017 to extend its life span by another 10 years.
- Revival of a national airline following advise to Government from UCAA on its importance to air transport.
- UCAA retained the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems Certification in 2021 from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service.
- Uganda has to date concluded a total of 47 Bilateral Air Service Agreements with various countries, 25 of which are operational
Adopted from: The Local.ug on September 15, 2021