KAMPALA – Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) has explained that the ongoing construction at Entebbe International Airport is the cause of the recent flooding early this month.
Addressing a press conference on Friday afternoon, UCAA Director General Fred K. Bamwesigye said that a heavy downpour on Saturday, April 6, 2024, overwhelmed the airport’s drainage system, causing temporary backflow in some areas of the car park.
“The ongoing construction of the new terminal building has a component for interconnection of the drainage system to accommodate the new developments, and all these pending works are scheduled for completion this year,” said Mr. Bamwesigye urging the airport users to bear with the temporary inconvenience as mitigation measures and all the projects are being finalized for a better passenger experience.
Bamwesigye, however, dismissed reports that flooding lasted for two days as reported on social media and some various media channels.
He clarified that the situation was resolved within 30-45 minutes, and the viral photos unfortunately created a misleading impression of a prolonged issue.
“It is pertinent to note that on that particular day, the Uganda National Meteorological Authority issued a report indicating that Entebbe received rain up to 106.8 mm, the highest maximum fall recorded in a single day,” he said.
He said that UCAA is putting in place remedial measures to improve the airport users experience even as the construction continues.
The Entebbe Airport Expansion and Upgrade project, which has been ongoing for the past years years has been reported a to cause inconvenience to some passengers.
The $200 Million Project entails among others relocation and expansion of the cargo terminal, construction of new passenger terminal building and modernizing and improving existing passenger terminal building.
Eng. Ayubu S0oma, the Director of Aviation Security at UCAA, elaborated the current terminal building is being expanded by 20,000 square meters, with provisions for further growth as passenger numbers and cargo volumes increase.
The expansion project aims to increase the passenger terminal’s capacity from the current 410 arriving and 320 departing passengers to 930 arriving and 820 departing passengers during peak hours.
The renovation will also enable the airport to increase the availability and frequency of international flights.
Entebbe International Airport is anticipated to handle 6.1 million passengers and 172,000t of cargo a year by 2033.
Details of Entebbe International Airport expansion and upgrade
Phase one of the project saw the construction of a new international passenger terminal building with a capacity of three million passengers, a new cargo centre that can handle 100,000t of cargo a year and a fuel centre.
The passenger terminal building whose contruction stands 60 percent according to Eng Ayub Sooma, the Director of Aviation Security at UCAA, will feature three levels and comprise a total floor area of 20,000m².
The building’s ground level will be allocated for an automated baggage sort system and goods delivery facility, while the second level will house new check-in and boarding areas.
The top level of the terminal building will accommodate offices.
New arrivals and departure blocks are already handling the increased level of passenger traffic, while the cargo building now houses various facilities required for the import and export cargo.
Also under phase one, is the Cold-storage modules being constructed for the storage of perishable export cargo such as fish from Lake Victoria, fruits, and flowers.
The existing 3.65km-long main runway (17/35), the 2.4km-long secondary runway (12/30) and the associated taxiways F, G and H have been expanded and strengthened to accommodate aircraft such as Boing 77-300 and Airbus 340-600.
Six more parking stands have been added to the existing apron 1 to serve IATA code C aircraft.
The first phase covered the rehabilitation and overlay of aprons 1, 2 and 4, while a new apron has been built to handle dedicated cargo aircraft.
Firewater and on-site water supply systems have also been included as part of the expansion project.
In addition, a multi-story car park has been built as part of the development’s second phase to increase the parking capacity from the current 100 to 360 cars.
Other developments at Entebbe International Airport
An Automation of the Aeronautical Information Management System has been implemented at the airport to allow for automated flight planning management.
A total of 42 new aviation police units have been built in Kigungu in order to relocate the current units at the cargo centre site.
A new baggage handling system featuring X-ray monitors has been placed in the check-in area to improve the baggage handling capacity from the current 500-700 bags an hour to approximately 1,200 to 1,800 bags an hour.
An additional six check-in counters have also been installed to enhance security at the facility.
