Entebbe international airport in Uganda

Entebbe International Airport is located in Entebbe town. It’s situated about 5kms from the town center on the shores of Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria is the largest freshwater lake in Africa shared by three East African countries of Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. This airport is located about 40kms southwest of Kampala which is the biggest town and the Capital City of Uganda.

Entebbe International Airport is the only international airport in Uganda. It’s the main Air gateway for most of the travelers who come in or out of Uganda by air. It also serves other regional airports/strips in the country as most of the regional or up-country flights start and end at Entebbe international airport.

Entebbe international airport is operated by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority. The offices of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority are located a few kilometers outside the airport adjacent to the airport highway. Entebbe airport is also home for Uganda airlines and Eagle Air.

Uganda Airlines resumed its operations in 2019 after nearly 18 years without working. It operates regional flights to Nairobi, Mogadishu, Bujumbura, Mombasa, Juba, Kilimanjaro, Dar-es-salaam, and soon they will start long flights to Asia, Europe, and other international destinations.

There are other two airline companies based in Uganda that are Aero link and Eagle air. Aero link has scheduled/chartered flights to most of the tourist destination areas in Uganda and even Kenya. It goes to Kisoro airstrip, Kihihi airstrip, Kasese airstrip, Pakuba airstrip, Chobe airstrip, Semuliki, Masaimara in Kenya, Apoka airstrip among others. Eagle Air also operates chartered/scheduled flights to Soroti, Semliki, Arua airport, Gulu airport, Mweya airstrip, to mention but a few. These locally based airline flights may either start or end at Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe International Airport.

There are also international airlines that fly in and out of Entebbe International Airport. They include Emirates from Dubai, Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi, Brussels Airlines from Brussels, Qatar Airways from Doha, Turkish Airlines from Istanbul, air Tanzania from Dar-es-salaam and Kilimanjaro, Egypt air from Cairo, Rwanda air from Kigali, Kenya Airways from Nairobi, Jambojet from Nairobi, Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa, KLM from Amsterdam among others.

Please note that some of the above airlines such as KLM, Brussels, and Turkish airlines have a stopover in Kigali before they come to Entebbe international airport so be sure of where you are going so that you don’t get out on a wrong destination.

Important information

There are some requirements that every traveler has to carry with before coming to Entebbe International Airport. These include;

• A valid passport. it should be valid for at least 6 months
• Visa. You should have a valid visa that permits you to come to Uganda. a Ugandan tourist visa can be applied online by visiting https://visas.immigration.go.ug and then you fill the application form. But you can as well get your visa on arrival though sometimes it’s tiresome because of many passengers at the airport. Tourists who wish to visit Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda can apply for an East Africa tourist visa. This visa is very convenient as you can freely rotate between the three countries in a period of 90 days without paying. This visa should be applied to the country you will arrive at first. In Uganda, you can get it on arrival but in Rwanda, you need to apply for it at least three days before you travel. A Ugandan tourist visa costs $50 valid for one month while the East Africa tourist visa costs $100.
• Yellow fever vaccination card. This is also a requirement when you are traveling to Uganda though you can be vaccinated at the airport on arrival in case you don’t have it.
• Money. You should have enough money with you to pay for your visa and for your upkeep in Uganda.
• Itinerary. you should know the reason as to why you are coming to Uganda because, at times, you will be asked if you are coming for tourism purposes just present your itinerary with the tour company that you booked with.

If you are departing out of Entebbe International Airport make sure you arrive at the airport 3 hours before your flights. This will help you to have enough time to pass through customs as security is tight here because Entebbe International Airport is among the airports that people use to smuggle drugs and animal trophies like ivory. And even the traffic jam tends to be a challenge if you are coming from Kampala so plan accordingly to avoid inconveniences.

Entebbe International Airport has a number of facilities that can be accessed by passengers such as Automated teller machines, banks, duty-free shops, baby changing facilities, forex bureaus, Airport lounges, Café for food and drinks  VIP lounge (this is usually accessed by government officials and diplomats), lost and found offices and other services.

There is also a waiting area outside the arrivals terminal where people who are waiting for their friends and clients are found. There are also airport taxis that transport people to various destinations to and fro from the airport. Tour operators like Safari Vacations & Travel Services do provide Airport pickups and drop-offs for their clients.