Entebbe International Airport has recorded 1.13 international passengers in the first half of the year 2025, Uganda Civil Aviation Authority(UCAA) has said.
According to latest figures from the aviation regulator, Entebbe recorded 550,439 international arrivals and 582,927 international departures showing a 4.3% growth in arrivals and a 7.6% growth in departures year-on-year.
“This marks an increase from 527,692 arrivals and 541,532 departures, totaling 1,069,224 passengers in the same period of January to June 2024,” UCAA said.
According to UCAA, cargo traffic also saw an upward trend, with 22,844 metric tonnes of exports and 10,778 metric tonnes of imports, making a total of 33,622 metric tonnes handled between January and June 2025.
This compares to 22,380 tonnes of exports and 10,414 tonnes of imports in the same period of 2024, totaling 32,794 tonnes.
“ The data reflects a 2.1% increase in exports and a 3.5% increase in imports.”
Uganda’s major exports include fish, flowers, vegetables and fresh produce, among others.
On the other side, aircraft movements increased from 15,223 in the first half of 2024 to 15,922 in the same period of 2025, representing a 4.6% growth.
Also, overflights declined from 12,359 in January to June 2024 to 11,917 in the same period of 2025, reflecting a 3.6% decrease.
“The reduction in overflights is partly attributed to the partial reopening of Sudanese airspace, which had previously been closed,” UCAA said.
“ This has allowed airlines operating between the Middle East, Southern Africa, and Latin America to resume using ICAO-designated contingency routes.”
The development is good news for Uganda’s only international airport that strives to be the best in the region.
There are currently ongoing expansion efforts to with plans to increase its passenger handling capacity to 6 million annually by 2033.
UCAA seeks to use Uganda Airlines as a hub to help grow the number of passengers using Entebbe International Airport.