Entebbe airport registers mixed growth in passenger traffic

Passenger traffic through Entebbe International Airport continued to recover from the June slump, signaling a return of activity at Uganda’s only international airport. 
During the period, according to data from Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) 81,986 passengers were cleared through Entebbe Airport compared to 61,328 travelers in July, which represented an increase of 167,554 passengers or growth of 34 per cent growth. 

However, the growth was not enough to impact cumulative performance for the period between September 2020 and August 2021. 
During the period, according to UCAA, 751,287 travelers were cleared through Entebbe Airport compared to 1,137,700 in the same period between 2019 and 2020. 

According to UCCA, at least of 331,262 arrivals were recorded between September 2020 and August 2021 compared to 498,816 arrivals in the same period between 2010 and 2020. 
Total departures during the period declined tremendously, falling to 360,291 travelers compared to 539,408 passengers who departed through Entebbe Airport between September 2019 and August 2020.
Transit traffic dropped to 59,734 up from 99,476 passengers. The decline, according to UCAA was a combination of a number of issues, key among which include impact of Covid-19 and related measures. 

Mr Vianney Luggya, the UCAA spokesperson, early this week said that although the numbers were still below pre-Covid-19 period, the recovery has been good, noting Covid-19 has not only impacted Uganda but also had a negative effect on the global aviation industry and the world economy. 
The recovery has also been key in attracting new airlines such as Airlink from South Africa, which last week added Entebbe as a new route.