Entebbe International Airport (IATA: EBB, ICAO: HUEN) stands as Uganda's sole international airport, playing a crucial role in connecting the country to the rest of the world. It is located about 35 kilometres (22 mi), by air, south of Kampala.
History and Development
The airport was initially opened by the British Colonial authorities. On 10 November 1951, the airport was formally reopened after its facilities had been extended. The Old Entebbe airport is now used by Uganda's military forces.
It was the scene of a hostage rescue operation by Israeli Sayeret Matkal, dubbed Operation Entebbe, in 1976 after an Arab-German hijacking of Air France Flight 139 following a stopover in Athens, Greece, en route to Paris from Tel Aviv. The scene of that rescue was the old terminal, which has been demolished, except for its control tower and airport hall.
In March 2022, the Chinese-built cargo center, capable of handling 100,000 metric tonnes of cargo, had begun commercial operations. In July 2024, Tristar Energy Limited, an aviation fuel supply-company, based in the United Arab Emirates and active in 31 countries, had completed the construction of underground storage tanks with storage capacity of 12,000,000 litres (12,000 m3) of aviation fuel and pipelines measuring 7 kilometres (4 mi), which were ready for commercial commissioning.
Over the next five years, the capacity of the underground storage tanks is expected to be expanded by another 11,000,000 liters (11,000 m3). As of 2029, the aviation fuel storage capacity at this airport is planned to be 23,000,000 liters (23,000 m3).
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In April 2016, Minister of Works John Byabagambi launched a USh 42.6 billion (US$11.4 million) project to expand the departure and arrival lounges. The work was carried out by Seyani Brothers Limited and was fully funded by the Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda. Construction commenced on 1 June 2016 with completion expected in December 2017.
Airlines and Destinations
Entebbe International Airport serves a variety of airlines with destinations across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Some of the airlines operating at EBB include:
- Uganda Airlines
- African Airline
- BidAir Cargo
- Stabo Air
- Uganda Air Cargo
Destinations served by these airlines include:
- Abuja
- Bujumbura
- Dar es Salaam
- Dubai-International
- Harare
- Johannesburg-O.R.
- Frankfurt
walking tour Entebbe International Airport - Entebbe Uganda
Passenger Traffic
Since 2002, international passenger traffic at the airport has increased annually, except for 2009 when the Great Recession caused a small decline and 2014. During the period between 1 January 2024 and 30 June 2024, EBB handled a total of 1,069,224 international passengers (527,692 arrivals and 541,532 departures).
Entebbe traffic hit 1.53 million passengers in 2017, up 8.1 percent versus 2016; Jambojet newest airline while Heathrow is leading unserved route.
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Entebbe Airport records increased number of passengers in first half of 2024.
Incidents and Safety
On 30 April 2000, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 operated by DAS Air Cargo and registered as N800WR overran the runway on landing at Entebbe. All 7 people on board survived but the aircraft was destroyed and written off.
On 9 March 2009, an Aerolift Ilyushin Il-76, registered as S9-SAB, crashed into Lake Victoria just after takeoff from Entebbe airport. Two of the engines caught fire on take-off and the resulting crash resulted in the deaths of all 11 people on board. The aircraft had been chartered by Dynacorp on behalf of the African Union Mission to Somalia.
On 14 March 2018, an Emirates flight attendant opened a door on board an Emirates Airlines parked plane and committed suicide by jumping. The plane was due to fly to Dubai.
Kololo Airstrip
Kampala Airport, commonly known as Kololo Airstrip and officially as Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, (IATA: n/a, ICAO: HUKC) was an airport in Uganda. Kampala Airport was located on the south-facing slope of Kololo Hill in the centre of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. Its location is about 35 kilometres (22 mi), by air, north of Entebbe International Airport, Uganda's largest airport.
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The airport had a single gravel runway of 1000 x 60 yd (914 x 55 mt). Kampala Airport was a small civilian and military, city airport, that served the city of Kampala. The airport now serves as Independence Park and has no scheduled airline service.
Kololo Airstrip was constructed during 1936 at the instigation of Philip Euen Mitchell, Governor of Uganda 1935 - 1940. All international traffic continued to use the existing airport at Entebbe as Port of entry - ironically, at the request of the Governor's office, although Kololo was designated a “Customs Aerodrome”, from 1 November 1937.
Aviation use during WW2 is unknown - the airstrip however had fallen out of use by 1946 and remained unused thereafter. The airstrip was used for the Independence Ceremony in October 1962 and for an open-air Mass by Pope Paul VI in 1969.
In 2012 the Ministry of Defence begun major construction works that included the erection of a public pavilion to be used during events. The airstrip was used to host the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
Aviation use is now restricted to rotary-wing aircraft. A portion of the airstrip has been reserved as a burial ground for ‘national heroes’.
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