Entebbe International Airport to Reopen for Tourism
As the great impact of the Corona virus pandemic, globally business rushed into a comprehensive lockdown of almost 98% the world countries for about three months. The reality was the pandemic had become one of the universal imports as many of the travelers by the time to returning to their mother countries were already infected. Before the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc around the world and grounded thousands of airlines, travelers going through Entebbe were expected to arrive three hours early to undergo stringent security checks.
This started from Chines business city of Wuhan, the virus wasn’t lazy but haughtily eager to break broader bounds to claim many lives. Effort globally started to limit the uncalled-for importation of the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown surfaced to almost business and borders where traveling across borders was very limited and strictly conditioned to ensure prevention of the pandemic.
In March, Uganda head of state, President Yoweri Museveni directed the closure of Entebbe International Airport and other entry/exits points into and out of the country to halt the spread of the coronavirus. The directive was initially for 32 days but had since been extended indefinitely after several extensions of the lockdown.
In the same way Uganda drew a list of guidelines/ precautions to avoid coronavirus importation in Uganda, among the precautions Entebbe International Airport and all borders were closed in the twilights of March. Only cargo plane and UN flights were left to use the airport as well road borders were only left for cargo vehicles.
However, the lockdown was to some extent adjusted for some domestic business operations, though public gatherings, bar, schools and churches are still on the lockdown. Entebbe airport is among the things still under the lockdown.
Much of the forces are coming from the tourism sector for the reopening of the airport for tourist, this comes as a result that neighboring countries of Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda have opened their airport for tourist. Its undoubted that tourism is the number one foreign exchange earner to Uganda. Much efforts have been inserted in the negotiation between the government and travel agencies to ensure that the airport is open.
This comes short after tourism was open to operate domestically to all parks accept primate parks. But Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has confirmed the reopening of all parks and certainty the highest percentage of tour operator in Uganda deal with foreign travelers. So, unemployment in the tour and travel industry is still realistically embryonic until the airport is open for extraneous holidaymakers.
UWA has also come up with SOPs to be abide by travelers looking to visiting the apes in Uganda. Before the lockdown, Uganda had a number of bookings for travelers going for gorilla tours in Bwindi Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Though the agency encouraged post poning trips, a number of trips have been put on hold and the reopening of the airport is expected to increase tourism activity in the primate parks. Some of the new SOPs introduced is obtaining a Covid-19 PCR test before visiting the mountain gorillas.
Currently the inside sources shows, that the airport will soon be open come 1st October 2020. The airport all necessary guidelines and Coronavirus preventing tools have been installed by Uganda Civil Aviation Authority to ensure SOPs are satisfied. Opening for international commercial passenger flights return to Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport on October 1, 2020, will wind-up at least five months of pandemic lockdown.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda (CAA) on September 8th letter to airlines’ executives said that 13 flights, to and from the airport have been cleared for the first day, while 10 flights are confirmed for the second day. The letter is signed by Sooma Ayub, the CAA director for Airports and Aviation security.
List of Airlines that are projected to recommence flights in Uganda include the national carrier Uganda Airlines, Kenya Airways, Qatar Airways, Air Tanzania, Ethiopian Airlines, Fly Dubai, Rwanda Air, KLM, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Brussels Airlines, and Tarco Aviation.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda has guaranteed the airport will be resuming after putting in place all the standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place like Social distancing, sanitizers all over the place among other SOPs to avoid transmission of the virus. The re-opening will see the number of flights handled at the airport growing regularly. The regulator also gave details of a revised weekly flight schedule for the first phase of the reopening which runs for three months.
