Entebbe Passenger and Cargo Numbers Rise in First Half of 2025

During the first half of 2025, Entebbe International Airport has recorded 550,439 international arrivals and 582,927 international departures, totaling to 1,133,366 international passengers.

According to the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) spokesperson Vianney Luggya Mpungu,  the development is an increase from 527,692 arrivals and 541,532 departures, totaling 1,069,224 passengers in the same period of January to June 2024. 

The figures reflect a 4.3% growth in arrivals and a 7.6% growth in departures year-on-year.

He revealed that 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.

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.

He further revealed that overflights declined from 12,359 in January to June 2024 to 11,917 in the same period of 2025, reflecting a 3.6% decrease. 

Luggya attributed the reduction to the partial reopening of Sudanese airspace, which had previously been closed. This has allowed airlines operating between the Middle East, Southern Africa, and Latin America to resume using ICAO-designated contingency routes.