Uganda lauded for liberalising airspace

Entebbe Airport, Uganda.

Speaking at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) silver jubilee stakeholders' dinner at Kampala Serena Hotel, African Airlines Association secretary general, Elijah Chingosho, said it is incumbent upon Uganda to lead the liberalisation process in Africa to facilitate the movement of goods and people across borders.

"The lack of full liberalisation of African skies has been a major stumbling block to the development of the African aviation industry. A fully liberalised industry should see the development of a productive airline which should stimulate new markets with the large population in this country," Chingosho said.

CAA public affairs manager, Ignie Igunduram, said Uganda's airspace is open to airline operators in terms of the number of times they want to fly to Entebbe International Airport and the number of passengers flown.

A study done by aviation consulting group InterVISTAS in 2014 about the impact of intra-African liberalisation in 12 African countries found that Uganda would create 18,600 jobs and Shs278.6b ($77.6m) as an increment to gross domestic product. An additional 116,000 tourists would visit the country, contributing Shs266.7 trillion to the sector.

Fifteen African countries have declared their commitment towards fully opening up their skies in conformity with the 1999 Yamoussoukro Decision.

Assuring Ugandans that the country will have its own airline soon, Works minister Monica Azuba asked CAA to observe the highest quality standards as they expand Entebbe International Airport.