A year after a historical commissioning, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has said it has made great strides in the ongoing multibillion expansion works at Entebbe International Airport.
CAA’s public affairs manager Vianney Luggya on Friday disclosed that over 13.5 per cent of works for the on-going landside expansion of the passenger terminal building at the airport has so far been accomplished.
The landside expansion by M/s Seyani Brothers (U) Ltd seeks to provide more room and comfort for service users, especially passengers through construction of a new departures and arrivals concession block. This particular project to be completed by the end of 2018 is fully funded by CAA from internally generated revenue.
The last time the media was taken on a tour of works at the Airport in July 2017, works on this project were standing at 10%.
Mr. Luggya also stated that the existing Passenger Terminal building was opened in 1974 for peak hour traffic of 250 arriving and 250 departing passengers. The Terminal got some limited improvements as the country prepared for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2007, elevating it to the current capacity of 410 arriving and 360 departing passengers. The National Aviation Master Plan projects 930 arriving passengers and 820 departing passengers during peak hours, by 2033. The expansion is critical in providing for the growth and ensuring a good customer experience. In 2016, the Airport handled a total of 1.5 million incoming and outgoing passengers.
CAA’S other major works undertaken for the airport’s upgrade and expansion include the on-going construction of a new Cargo Centre whose earthworks were completed by the contractor, China CommunicationsConstruction Company (CCCC). The contractor is now working on the Cargo Centre’s airside and landside access roads before embarking on the building blocks in September, 2017. They are also working on the drainage channel at the airside in preparation for expansion of the Aircraft Parking Apron to add six (6) more Aircraft Parking bays.
Additionally, the proposed new 100,000 tones capacity Cargo Centre will be a self-contained facility with a Parking Apron, landslide and airside access roads, cooling facilities, a Freight Forwarders Parlor and ancillary business outlets. Other works to be undertaken by CCCC in the first phase (of five years) include re-surfacing of the Runways, Taxiways and strengthening and expansion of the Aprons. The supervising Consultant for the projects is Dar Al – HandasahShair& Partners.
Cargo volumes have grown from 6,600 metric tons recorded in 1991 to 59,000 tons at the turn of 2016.
