Arua Airfield: a testament to West Nile economic muscle

Love him or hate him, former president Idi Amin Dada is a West Nile hero and in particular for Arua, a town that saw significant changes under his presidency.
His greatest legacy in the town is the airfield which he expanded. Ironically, the airfield is located adjacent to Idi Amin’s home, only separated by a fence.
But his strategic blunders curtailed the ambitious project to upgrade it into an international airport.

In all, the Arua Airfield has made a significant contribution to the economy of West Nile and Uganda as a whole.
Even when West Nile celebrates its 100th anniversary since it joined the rest of Uganda, the airfield is one of the beacons of the region’s economic muscle.
Located three kilometres from the town, Arua Airfield is the second busiest airfield in the country, after Entebbe International Airport.
According to retired ambassador Harold Acemah, while it was constructed before independence, it was used more during Obote’s regime. When Idi Amin took over power in 1971, the airstrip underwent major expansion.

“But the whole process of upgrading was derailed by Amin chasing away the Israelis who were working on it. And indeed they were given short time to leave and they abandoned several equipment at the airstrip,” Acemah said.
The equipment were vandalised by advancing Tanzanian forces when Amin was overthrown in 1978. One anomaly this caused is the parking space which can only accommodate about 20 cars, till today.

The state of the airfield
At the time of its establishment, the terminal was small. Only a handful of passengers used the airfield. The old terminal now also serves as the administrative office as well as a booking point.
Much as the airsfield is part of Uganda’s programme to revamp its air transport, there are still major hiccups at the facility. The restaurant, for example, at the terminal is not at par with the facility it serves, and passengers have to be transported to town to access services like food and drinks.

The current government has realised the importance and strategic location of the airfield and development of the terminals and works on the runways are underway.
However, there are still vast areas of the airfield covered by grass, leaving a narrow dirt runway. There is also limited space for parking of the planes.
Currently, the airfield employs 10 people under the supervision of Civil Aviation Authority.

One-way flights from Entebbe to Arua cost Shs350,000 and return ticket cost Shs600,000 and the journey takes one hour. By road, it takes eight hours on the 520km ride from Kampala to Arua at Shs35,000 or Shs50,000.
The airfield is also used by students from schools as far as Adjumani and Zombo, for field trips.

Economic benefits also income from transit passengers who use the airfield but spend their money at other locations for example the national park.
It is also one of the five upcountry airfields that are authorised to handle cross-border air traffic from member countries of the East African Community, as part of efforts to promote tourism within East Africa. The other four are Kidepo, Gulu, Kasese and Kisero.

Developments
It was constructed due to its strategic location for both commercial and passenger air traffic between Uganda and her two neighbours, Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan but it is also used for military purposes.

Its central location in the Great Lakes region has turned the airfield into an outpost for re-fueling aircrafts on counter-LRA operations in the DRC, South Sudan and Central African Republic.

For instance, the UPDF, UN, private planes on regional missions presently land and re-fuel at the airfield, meaning many such guests are already contributing to the growth of the local economy when they spend in Arua Town.
The construction of a Shs1.53bn passenger terminal by CAA is now underway. So far one terminal has been constructed although it is not equipped. The government in conjunction with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had started the work to boost tourism and regional trade across the borders.

The work chiefly stalled due to wrangles from the people who live near the airfield over compensation for their land and property. About 500 people were to be displaced to allow expansion to an international standard, including Amin’s family.

The area MP, Bernard Atiku, said the CAA had agreed to compensate for the families to be displaced.
“We will have a meeting next week to establish the number of families to be displaced and compensated. But the airfield is important for our domestic taxes and promotion of tourism in the region as we mark the 100 years of West Nile,” he said.

Ironically, while the stalled work is blamed on the people who are demanding for compensation, the same people support the expansion of the airfield.
Geoffrey Amani, who lives near the terminal, says it would boost trade for the people who work nearby.

“Those landing here would even be buying local items from us when it is at international standards. I think it is time people position themselves to tap into the benefits,” he says.

Despite the stalling, some work has been done on the runway where the first phase of tarmac has been casted and a new office is in its completion stage. The airfield also has one firefighting equipment truck.
Already, a petrol station targeting the benefits from the airfield has been established about 300 metres from the faculty. Also, a hire service for cars and cargo is expected to be established.

“We need this land urgently. We want the airport to serve as a tourism and commercial centre for East and Central Africa as well as a point for international entry and exit,” Dr Rama Mukuza, the Executive Director of CAA says.

If completed, the new airfield will be able to handle 70,000 people annually making it the second busiest airfield after Entebbe Airport, which handles about four million passengers a year, a feat that will improve the area.

about the air field
Runway Characteristics
Orientation: 18/36
Length: 1800 meters
Width: 30 meters
Surface: Murram
Altitude: 5200 Ft
Services:
Air Navigational Services:Not Available
Navigational Aids: Windsock
Fire and Rescue: Available
Security: Aviation Police
Terminal Services: Available
Fuel: On arrangement
Meteorology: Available
Immigration: On arrangement
Customs: On arrangement
Hotels: Available in Arua Town
Transport: Available
Source: Civil Aviation Authority

More tit bits on the airfield
• The airfield was the tactical military base during Operation Lightning Thunder in 2008 that helped UPDF flush LRA rebels out of Garamba Forest.
• It is located only 12 miles (19 km) from Uganda’s border with the DR Congo and about 20 miles (32 km) from the border between Uganda and South Sudan.
• The location is approximately 371km by air, northwest of Entebbe International Airport, Uganda’s largest airport.
• The airfield’s runway measures 5,600 feet (1,700 m). The Civil Aviation Authority plans to expand the airfield 105 metres westward and 300 metres eastward toward the Arua-Rhino Camp road.

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