The Entebbe International Airport. Players in Uganda’s aviation sector
are upbeat about prospects for the financing of a planned revamp and
expansion of the airport. Photo/Morgan Mbabazi
Nation Media Group
By MICHAEL WAKABI The EastAfrican
In Summary
- Sources at the country’s Civil Aviation Authority said that delegations from Canada, China and Malaysia have already visited Uganda to discuss possible financial participation, whose scope will be available in six months’ time, when the consultants complete their work.
- On October 21, the CAA announced that Spanish transport engineering firm Ineco had been selected as consultants to develop the new 20-year master plan for the sector.
- Uganda’s neighbours have also been pursuing ambitious projects to uplift their air transport infrastructure over the past few months.
Players in Uganda’s aviation sector are upbeat
about prospects for the financing of a planned revamp and expansion of
the Entebbe International Airport, as demand for air services continues
to outstrip capacity.
Even before consultants hired last week get down
to defining the specific needs of Uganda’s civil aviation sector for the
next 20 years, news of the new master air transport plan has attracted
early interest.
Sources at the country’s Civil Aviation Authority
said that delegations from Canada, China and Malaysia have already
visited Uganda to discuss possible financial participation, whose scope
will be available in six months’ time, when the consultants complete
their work. The $273,000 study will determine a preferred funding model
for the different activities under the air transport plan.
“It is true we have had several approaches from
different parties offering to fund the plan but it is premature to say
much because we have not come to a point of discussing specifics,” a
senior figure at the authority said.
On October 21, the CAA announced that Spanish
transport engineering firm Ineco had been selected as consultants to
develop the new 20-year master plan for the sector.
It succeeds the current 20-year plan due to expire
in 2022, but of which some elements have been overtaken by events such
as growing demand. The new plan will run from 2014 to 2033, and is
expected to dovetail with the country’s National Vision 2040 Strategy.
“We already have a capacity challenge at Entebbe,
and the recent growth trajectory demands that we re-examine our
options,” said Ignie Igundura, corporate affairs manager at Uganda’s
CAA.
CAA managing director Rama Makuza said passenger
traffic at Entebbe overtook projections just one year into the current
master plan, and the 1.4 million passengers recorded so far this year
are closer to the projected figures for 2019. Today, the airport handles
21 international airlines. Rising frequency of flights is exerting
pressure on the departures section.
At a function to mark the start of the study,
Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi said consistent economic growth and a
rapidly converging region demand that the air transport sector be
positioned to play a more efficient role in Uganda’s economy.
“The economy has registered an average annual real
GDP growth rate of 7.5 per cent over the past 25 years. On the regional
scene, the East African Community is fast integrating and markets are
opening to our exports. As East Africans pursue the single-sky dream,
the time to plan for more modern facilities is now,” said Mr Mbabazi.
Uganda’s exports grew 714 per cent between 1986
and 2010, with revenues rising from a paltry $406 million to $3.291
billion respectively.
Uganda’s neighbours have also been pursuing
ambitious projects to uplift their air transport infrastructure over the
past few months. Last week, Kenya said it had secured nearly all the
funds it needs to construct a temporary terminal, clearing the way for
the planned expansion of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
On October 24, the Africa Development Bank (AfDB)
said it had approved Ksh2.3 billion ($27.1 million) for the project,
leaving the government with a financing gap of Ksh43 million ($0.5
million).
The urgency to build the temporary terminal was
necessitated by the destruction caused by a fire that gutted the
airport’s international arrivals section on August 7, rendering it
unusable
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