Hold-up at airport as expansion starts

Entebbe. As works to expand Entebbe International Airport get in motion, travellers are raising concern over missed and delayed flights.
Some of the travellers that Daily Monitor talked to at the weekend raised concern at the long clearance time and procedure that they have to go through to depart for various destinations.
Currently, expansion works are being undertaken at the check-in area in the departure lounge. The area where luggage used to be checked-in is closed off and a tent has been erected in the drive-way. Temporally counters have been set up from where agents of various airlines check in their clients.
Mr Robert Muheezi, who was traveling to Abu Dhabi using KLM Airlines on Friday afternoon, said while checks are normal, clearing agents are having a long procedure.

“By the time you reach the counter your flight could already have gone. Some people are also getting lost in the tent, they don’t know where to start from,” Mr Muheezi said. Mr Badru Diin, who was traveling to Saudi Arabia said when he has a flight he arrives at the airport much earlier than usual. “Maybe for other passengers it is a problem but for us we have come early and our flight is scheduled late,” he said.
Mr Jevans Mukiibi, who had escorted a family member to the airport, said they arrived at the airport at around 1pm but by 3pm the traveller had not yet cleared. “So, we don’t know what is taking them too long,” he said.

Missing flights
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) principal public affairs officer Vianney Luggya Mpungu said it was not possible that anyone could have missed a flight because of the temporary check in arrangement.
“Passengers missing flights is mainly due to a combination of factors including delays on the road as a result of the increasing traffic jam on Entebbe Road, ongoing road construction works, and failure by passengers to plan for adequate time before departure,” Mr Luggya told Daily Monitor. The publicist noted that the current temporary re-routing of passengers at check-in follows the same departure formalities that were previously followed thus no delays could be caused. “This temporary check-in arrangement is scheduled to last only three months as the new modern baggage handling system is being installed,” he said.

Blame the passengers
Mr Eliah Kamugisha, the OC traffic at Entebbe Main Police Station, acknowledged the traffic jam on Entebbe highway but further stated that it was because of the travellers’ own inconveniences that some miss their flights. He explained that it can take one and half hours to leave Kampala and reach Entebbe in time or even one hour on normal days.
“When we have Very Important Persons in the country and travellers are re-routed, it can take about two and a half hours. So if you know your flight is at 5pm plan your movements earlier,” he said.

“At times, travellers first go out with their friends and family and when they see that it is about one hour left to the flight, they speed off from Kampala, thus reaching the airport late,” he said. Mr Kamugisha further dismissed the 3-5 minute check conducted as one accesses the airport as a possible reason for one to miss their flight stating that it is along the way that could lead to one missing their flight.

[email protected]