Uganda''s aviation business is booming - CAA

Apr 16, 2014

The volume of flights, passengers and cargo, according to data from Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Entebbe International Airport are on a steady increase.

By Titus Kakembo

The volume of flights, passengers and cargo, according to data from Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Entebbe International Airport are on a steady increase. 

Statistics show that there were 1.23 million international arrivals compared with 1.08 million passengers in 2011.
This shows an increase of 15 percent in cargo volumes, with 55,908 tonnes handled last year compared with 48,636 tonnes registered in 2011. 
 
CAA spokesperson, Ignie Igunduura, attributes the increase in passenger and cargo traffic at Entebbe to improved economic performance, political stability, the discovery of oil and gas in the country.
 
“Aviation will never be the same as more investors seek business opportunities in the country due to macro economic stability,” asserted Igundura. 
 
This comes in the wake of Uganda’s average annual inflation rate for the 2012 calendar year slowing down to 14 percent compared with 18.7 percent in 2011, according to the Uganda National Bureau of Statistics.
 
Similarly, passenger traffic for domestic passengers increased from 9,508 in 2011 to 13,780 in 2012, representing a 42.7 percent growth due to trade opportunities especially in Arua and Hoima districts located northwest of Kampala city, and served by Arua and Kasio airstrips, respectively.
 
The Arua airstrip now acts as a business hub for three African states: Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, while the Hoima airstrip is a centre for oil and gas exploration.
 
 During a breakfast hosted by Ethiopian Airlines at Sheraton Hotel, players who are responsible for marketing Uganda as a destination for investors, tourists and students were given certificates of appreciation and recognition.
 
“Ethiopian Airlines has been in Uganda since 1965,” said the area manager Abebe Angessa. “And the volumes of travellers destined here are on the increase. With our goal of ‘The New Spirit Of Africa’ we transport the business fraternity, patients, tourists and those destined for workshop.”
 
Angesa said, the increased volume of travellers coming here, credit goes to the media like the New Vision that writes extensively about the tourist attractions and business opportunities in the country.
 
“We get so many travellers coming to watch birds, track gorillas, scout for business opportunities and visit friends,” he said while awarding  Vision Group a certificate of recognition to Daniel Komunda.“
 
This comes in the wake of Uganda’s aviation industry maintaining its growth trend last year by posting a 14.1 percent increase in passenger traffic, driven by an increase in tourist arrivals.
 

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