Authorities in Uganda say the new cargo centre has driven up the amount of export cargo handled by the country’s Entebbe International Airport.
Vianney Luggya, the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) spokesperson, told media the new structure has bigger space and can handle 100,000 tonnes per year.
“We started using the new cargo centre in 2021. This is the third year of use. Definitely, it is facilitating better because it has the capacity to handle 100,000 tonnes of cargo a year,” Luggya said.
“Where we were, the facilities were not only old but also constrained in terms of space. In the new cargo centre we have more space and capacity,” he said.
The official said the old facility was handling less than 50,000 tonnes per year.
According UCAA the cargo centre, which was constructed with funding from the Chinese government handled 39,000 tonnes of export cargo in 2021 compared to the more than 40,000 tonnes of export cargo handled last year. During the same period, the centre handled 25,000 tonnes of imports in 2021 compared to 18,000 tonnes in 2023.
The official said although the airport was handling lesser cargo than the previous years, exports were growing.
“The only part of cargo that has grown is exports. We have more exports than imports. Even the January figures show that exports have grown,” Luggya said.
The January report indicates that Entebbe airport handled 3,604 tonnes of export cargo compared to 3,555 tonnes of export cargo in December.
“Even for December, exports were more than imports,” Luggya said.
Luggya said most of Uganda’s exports mostly include fresh produce such as flowers, fish, vegetables and fruits.
The major destination is Europe but the country also exports to other continents.
