Entebbe records highest passenger travels in two years

Entebbe International Airport has recorded the highest passenger travels since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

In June 2023, the airport welcomed 80,750 arriving and 80,165 departing passengers, totaling 160,915 international passengers, the highest number recorded in a single month since the outbreak of Covid-19.

Mr. Vianney Luggya, the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority’s (UCAA) Spokesperson, highlighted the significance of this achievement during an interview with Monitor on July 19. 

He said, "When you compare this to the total of 135,261 international passengers (64,458 arrivals and 70,803 departures) recorded in the same period of June 2022, it shows that there is an additional 25,654 passengers in June 2023, which is a clear sign of progress."

Mr. Luggya further revealed that the passenger traffic in June 2023 translated to an average of 5,363 passengers per day, the highest figure since 2019 when an average of about 5,000 passengers per day were recorded for the entire year. 

He expressed hope for sustained or even increased traffic throughout the rest of the year.

The increase in traffic in June was partly attributed to departing pilgrims to Mecca.

Another notable trend is the shift in the balance of arriving and departing passengers. 

In recent years, departing passengers at Entebbe Airport outnumbered arriving passengers. 

However, Mr. Luggya pointed out that, "In May 2023, we had 77,912 departures and 79,297 arrivals, a total of 157,209 passengers for the entire month, averaging 5,071 passengers per day. If we can maintain this level of consistency for the rest of the year, the industry may see higher traffic than in 2019."

According to UCAA’s passenger traffic statistics, the passenger traffic recorded in June 2023 ranks as the fourth highest figure for a month, following the numbers recorded in December 2019 (179,323), July 2019 (166,980), and August 2019 (163,344).

In 2022, the airport welcomed a total of 1,571,950 international passengers, compared to 941,688 in 2021, 565,541 in 2020, and 1,802,107 in 2019.

Regarding cargo, June 2023 saw 5,195 metric tonnes, 1,661 tonnes of imports and 3,534 tonnes of exports, passing through Entebbe International Airport. 

In 2022, the airport handled a total of 61,000 metric tonnes of cargo.

Mr. Luggya said, "We are now experiencing more exports than imports, with the bulk of Uganda’s exports consisting of fresh produce, including flowers, fish, and vegetables, among others."