Business
Entebbe International Airport Sees Record Growth in Passenger Traffic for 2024
Entebbe International Airport has reported a significant surge in international passenger numbers for November 2024, with 182,932 passengers passing through its gates, averaging 6,097 passengers daily. The breakdown includes 91,867 arrivals and 91,065 departures.
According to Vianney Luggya the spokesperson of Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, from January to November 2024, the airport welcomed a total of 2,020,787 international passengers, an impressive 17.8% increase from the same period in 2023, which recorded 1,733,133 passengers. This year’s figures show a significant rise from 2022, when 1,417,615 passengers were recorded.
Aircraft movements at Entebbe also grew by 5.6%, with 29,751 movements from January to November 2024 compared to 28,167 movements in 2023. The number of overflights over Ugandan airspace saw an 8.2% increase, with 23,052 flights this year against 21,300 in 2023.
However, transit passengers experienced a slight decline, dropping to 99,530 from 117,604 in the previous year.
Regarding cargo, there was a notable increase with 61,393 metric tons of goods handled from January to November 2024, compared to 53,803 metric tons in 2023. November alone saw 5,730 metric tons of cargo, with exports significantly outpacing imports.
The growth in passenger numbers is attributed to multiple factors including growth in tourism, Uganda hosting international events like the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and G77+ China Summit, and a stable economic environment fostering increased global trade.
The expansion in commercial flights has been further boosted by new operators entering the Ugandan market and Uganda Airlines opening new routes to cities like Abuja, Lagos, and Mumbai.
