Entebbe International Airport
Encyclopedia
Entebbe International Airport is the principal international airport
of Uganda
.
, on the shores of Lake Victoria
, and about 35 km (21.7 mi) from the capital, Kampala
. The main offices
of the Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda
are located at the airport.
s of the Cairo-Cape flight which landed on the 900 yards (823 m) grass runway on 17 February 1929. In January 1932 Imperial Airways
began to use Entebbe on their Cape-to-Cairo mail services: at this stage, radio was installed. By 1935, the grass runway surfaces had been replaced by murram. In 1944-45 the main runway (12/30) was asphalted and extended to 1600 yards (1,463 m). On 10 November 1951 the airport was formally re-opened after the facilities had been extended further: runway 12/30 was now 3300 yards (3,017.5 m), in preparation for services by the de Havilland Comet
. Finally, the existing control tower of the “old airport” was constructed in 1957/58.
The current passenger terminal building was constructed in the mid to late 1970s, together with runway 17/35: the old runway 12/30 was shortened to its current length. The Old Entebbe airport is now used by Uganda's military forces and was the scene of a hostage rescue operation by Israeli Sayeret Matkal
, dubbed Operation Entebbe
, in 1976, after an Arab-German hijacking of Air France
Flight 139 out of Tel Aviv
. The scene of that particular rescue was "the old airport", which was recently demolished except for its control tower. In late 2007, a domestic terminal was constructed at the site of the old airport, leaving the "new airport" to handle International flights exclusively.
of the United States military.
International airport
An international airport is any airport that can accommodate flights from other countries and are typically equipped with customs and immigration facilities to handle these flights to and from other countries...
of Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
.
Location
It is located near the town of EntebbeEntebbe
Entebbe is a major town in Central Uganda. Located on a Lake Victoria peninsula, the town was at one time, the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda, prior to Independence in 1962...
, on the shores of Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
, and about 35 km (21.7 mi) from the capital, Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
. The main offices
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
of the Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda
Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda
The Civil Aviation Authority was created by an Act of Parliament in 1994 as a state agency of the Ministry of Transport, Housing and Communication...
are located at the airport.
History
The airport was first constructed in 1928/1929: the first aircraft to use the new airfield were RAF Fairey IIIFairey III
The Fairey Aviation Company Fairey III was a family of British reconnaissance biplanes that enjoyed a very long production and service history in both landplane and seaplane variants...
s of the Cairo-Cape flight which landed on the 900 yards (823 m) grass runway on 17 February 1929. In January 1932 Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long range air transport company, operating from 1924 to 1939 and serving parts of Europe but especially the Empire routes to South Africa, India and the Far East...
began to use Entebbe on their Cape-to-Cairo mail services: at this stage, radio was installed. By 1935, the grass runway surfaces had been replaced by murram. In 1944-45 the main runway (12/30) was asphalted and extended to 1600 yards (1,463 m). On 10 November 1951 the airport was formally re-opened after the facilities had been extended further: runway 12/30 was now 3300 yards (3,017.5 m), in preparation for services by the de Havilland Comet
De Havilland Comet
The de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, it first flew in 1949 and was a landmark in aeronautical design...
. Finally, the existing control tower of the “old airport” was constructed in 1957/58.
The current passenger terminal building was constructed in the mid to late 1970s, together with runway 17/35: the old runway 12/30 was shortened to its current length. The Old Entebbe airport is now used by Uganda's military forces and was the scene of a hostage rescue operation by Israeli Sayeret Matkal
Sayeret Matkal
Sayeret Matkal is a special forces unit of the Israel Defence Forces , which is subordinated to the intelligence directorate Aman. First and foremost a field intelligence-gathering unit, conducting deep reconnaissance behind enemy lines to obtain strategic intelligence, Sayeret Matkal is also...
, dubbed Operation Entebbe
Operation Entebbe
Operation Entebbe was a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by the Special Forces of the Israel Defense Forces at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists and...
, in 1976, after an Arab-German hijacking of Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
Flight 139 out of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. The scene of that particular rescue was "the old airport", which was recently demolished except for its control tower. In late 2007, a domestic terminal was constructed at the site of the old airport, leaving the "new airport" to handle International flights exclusively.
Passenger traffic
Entebbe International Airport served 720,000 International passengers in 2007. (+10.7% vs. 2006). The unofficial figure of arrivals in 2008 was estimated at 850,000 (+18.1% vs. 2007) In 2009, the estimated arrivals were 930,000 (+9.4% vs 2008), while in 2010, they totaled 1 million (+7.5% vs. 2009). The airport handled a total of 1,023,437 International arrivals in 2010, according to published data. In 2011, International traffic is estimated to have increased to 1.5 million passsengers.Security arrangements
Entebbe Airport is a Cooperative Security LocationCooperative Security Location
A Cooperative Security Location is a U.S. military term for facilities used for regional training in counterterrorism and interdiction of drug trafficking, and also to provide contingency access to the continent. "A CSL is a host-nation facility with little or no permanent U.S...
of the United States military.
Facilities
Passenger facilities include: Exchange office and Left-luggage office. Entebbe Internatioonal Airport uses the jetway boarding bridge system.Scheduled passenger airlines
Cargo airlines
Airlines that ceased flights
Accidents and incidents
- In 1976, an Air FranceAir FranceAir France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
flight from Tel AvivTel AvivTel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
to ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
was hijacked and taken to Entebbe, and Israeli commandoes rescued the hostages in Operation EntebbeOperation EntebbeOperation Entebbe was a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by the Special Forces of the Israel Defense Forces at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists and...
.
- On 9 March 2009, AeroliftAeroliftAerolift was a South African airline based in Bryanston, Gauteng, Johannesburg, operating chartered passenger and cargo flights within Africa using Soviet-built aircraft. Aerolift also offered aircraft lease services...
Ilyushin Il-76Ilyushin Il-76The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose four-engined strategic airlifter designed by Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a commercial freighter in 1967. Intended as a replacement for the Antonov An-12, the Il-76 was designed for delivering heavy machinery to remote, poorly-serviced areas...
S9-SAB crashed into Lake VictoriaLake VictoriaLake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
just after takeoff from Entebbe Airport, UgandaUgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, killing all 11 people on board. Two of the engines had caught fire on take-off. The aircraft had been chartered by Dynacorp on behalf of AMISOM. The accident was investigated by Uganda's Ministry of Transport, which concluded that all four engines were time-expired and that Aerolift's claim that maintenance had been performed which extended their service life or that the work had been certified could not be substantiated.
External links
- Overview of Tourist Numbers Visiting Uganda 2007 To 2010 (Arrivals = Arriving Tourists + Arriving Nationals
- Website of The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority
- Qatar Airways Begins Daily Service Between Entebbe and Doha In November 2011
- As of November 2011, Nineteen (19) International Airlines Fly Into Entebbe
See also
- Civil Aviation Authority of UgandaCivil Aviation Authority of UgandaThe Civil Aviation Authority was created by an Act of Parliament in 1994 as a state agency of the Ministry of Transport, Housing and Communication...
- List of airports in Uganda