International airlines on alert as Entebbe Airport prepares for reopening on October,1

The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority has written to various international airlines informing them of the reopening of Entebbe International Airport after being closed for over six months over the Coronavirus pandemic.

According to a September 8, 2020 letter by Eng.Sooma Ayub, the Director Airports and Aviation Security at CAA, the various airlines should prepare to resume passenger flights to Entebbe on October 1,2020.

“Please find attached, a tentative schedule for phase one of international passenger flights to Entebbe Airport for three months, effective October 1, 2020,” the letter says.

According to the letter, Uganda Airlines, Kenya Airways,Qatar Airways, Air Tanzania, Ethiopian Airlines, Fly Dubai, Rwanda Air, Royal Dutch Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Brussels Airlines and Tarco Aviation have been put on alert to resume passenger flight to and from Entebbe International Airport.

In March, President Museveni ordered the closure of Entebbe Airport together with other entry and exit points into and out of the country as one of the measures to combat the spread of Coronavirus.

Consequently, on cargo planes and UN Staff were allowed to land and leave the airport.

However, the national Covid-19 task force advised that the airport and country’s borders be reopened but under strict guidelines.

According to officials from the Civil Aviation Authority, all passengers will be required to be at the airport at least three hours to their flights to enable them go through the various health checks but must also wear facemasks, maintain social distance and use sanitisers as a mandatory procedure.

CAA also put in place several tents for health screening of incoming passengers, installed automated sanitisers at various points, temperature guns and ultra-modern scans to detect temperature in a distance not less than 30 metres away.

Travelers will also be required to present certificates to show they are negative of Coronavirus before being allowed to board the plane.

Uganda has lost billions of money after the closure of the airport and several borders.

Civil Aviation Authority in June announced that whereas they previously collected shs20 billion per month before the onset of the virus, they were able to collect only one billion shillings in March after the closure of the airport.

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