Uganda’s President, H.E Kaguta Museveni announced on Sunday, 20th September, 2020 that the country’s international airport and land borders will reopen and resume operations for tourists after a more than six-month closure as part of measures against the spread of COVID-19.
International commercial passenger flights return to Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport on October 1, 2020, ending at least five months of lockdown occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic. the reopening of the airport is prioritized for tourists, coming in and going out, provided they tested negative 72 hours prior arrival in Uganda. Interactions between the locals and tourists are strictly prohibited and to ensure this happens, tour operators will make sure tourists are driven straight to their destinations. All SOPs set by the Ministry of Health together with the government are to be observed and properly executed to curb the possible spread of COVID-19.
The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) in a September 8 letter to airlines’ executives said that 13 flights, to and from the airport have been cleared for the first day, while 10 flights are confirmed for the second day.
Airlines expected to resume flights in Uganda include the national carrier Uganda Airlines, Kenya Airways, Qatar Airways, Air Tanzania, Ethiopian Airlines, FlyDubai, RwandAir, KLM, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Brussels Airlines, and Tarco Aviation.
The UCAA says the reopening will see the number of flights handled at the airport increasing gradually. The regulator also gave details of a revised weekly flight schedule for the first phase of the reopening which runs for three months.
There have been efforts to create more space in the waiting lounges to enable social distancing. Three large executive tents funded by the Department for International Development were erected by the World Food Programme (WFP) airside to provide ample space for the handling of the airport’s health processes.
Please note that all Foreigners on a tourist visa should come with a Covid free PCR certificate valid for 72 hours