Entebbe airport silent as Covid-19 hits aviation

The runways are empty, the busy arrival and departure lounges are deserted. Along the hallways, you walk for minutes without meeting anyone except security officers and a handful of airport officials and ground handling services personnel.

Entebbe International Airport that used to attract more than 80 flights daily with more than 5,000 passengers and close to 300 tonnes of cargo daily, is now desolate.
At the departure lounge, about 175 masked passengers are waiting to board an Ethiopian Airline flight home.

Some are disinfecting their seats. More than half of the masked passengers who are being evacuated are heading to Sweden while the rest are heading to America, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and other European countries.
Government stopped commercial flights on March 22 and allowed cargo flights to continue as part of the emergency measures to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

At 5pm on Friday, an Emirates Airways cargo plane touches down, delivering medical supplies and other essential goods from China and other parts of the world.
About half an hour later, the Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner hits the runway to evacuate foreigners.

The two are followed by a United Nations plane and another privately owned plane that head to the old airport section. The only planes allowed to touch down are cargo planes and emergency UN workers. Ugandans trapped abroad were told to stay there until the situation normalises.

Mr Nouamane Zahouani, the general manager of National Aviation Service, the company that manages ground handling services at the airport, said the lockdown had greatly affected their business operations.

He, however, said they were still providing seamless and comprehensive ramp and cargo services as well as passenger handling for evacuee flights to ensure that supply chains remain unaffected.

“Covid-19 has barely left any business unaffected. Prior to the pandemic, we handled 45 flights, 5,000 passengers and 200 tonnes of cargo on a daily basis.

“This has now dropped to 31 cargo flights, eight relief flights, 1,500 passengers and 700 tonnes of cargo in the last three weeks. Passengers mainly include evacuees. Cargo includes food, medicine and basic necessities,” Mr Zahouani said.

Adjustments
He said they ensure that the frontline staff are well protected and equipped.

“With precautionary measures, short lead times, lockdowns, curfews and greater operational demands, our work has become more challenging. But we continue to remain flexible and adapt to the changing situation by optimising our resources and focusing on the resilience of our industry to do our best and support the people and economy in Uganda,” he said.

Mr Zahouani said they have continued operations despite restrictions and challenges.

“We are continuing to facilitate and handle all cargo coming in and out of Uganda during this time to ensure that crucial items are coming into the country and exports are not interrupted. Recently, we have also handled passenger flights for Brussels Airlines, Qatar Airways and KLM as part of the evacuation efforts,” he said.

The number of Covid-19 positive cases has been reported among the cross-border truck drivers, raising concerns that all is not safe with imports from countries hit by the pandemic.

However, Mr Zahouani said they are under strict instructions and supervision to ensure that they handle the cargo with utmost care.

“We follow all the precautions and guidance provided by the IATA and other regulatory bodies. We are also working very closely with the airport authority CAA, government agencies and customs to review and continuously evaluate our safety measures. We also continue to put proactive measures in case of unexpected developments,” he said.

The airport is undergoing expansion to increase the passenger terminal’s capacity from the current 410 arriving and 320 departing passengers to 930 arrivals and 820 departing passengers during peak hours.
The airport renovation will also enable to increase the availability and frequency of international flights.

It is anticipated to handle 6.1 million passengers and 172,000t of cargo a year by 2033. However, it is not clear if the projected targets will be achieved the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic that has grounded flights globally.

In 2018, the airport registered more than 1.5 million arrivals and with the projected figures set to increase, there were a lot of optimism that the numbers would propel Entebbe to be a regional hub.

However, it remains to be seen whether the figures will hit the target after the Covid-19 pandemic ends.
Globally, passenger flights have been grounded with hundreds of thousands of workers laid off. Nobody is sure of when the pandemic will end and business returns to normal. For now, the message is “stay home, stay safe”.

Current cargo at airport

While cargo, including electronics and other manufactured products continue to arrive at the airport, the biggest volume is essential medicines and medical supplies to combat the pandemic. The supplies include face masks, gloves, surgical gloves. Flowers are still being exported alongside fish maws which have a high demand in Asian countries.

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