By Paul Adude.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) board chairman Mr Edward Mike Ndawula has said the first phase of expansion works at Entebbe international airport are on schedule and have reached 45 percent completion.
“We have quite a number of projects on the expansion of the airport and we are on schedule, the first phase of the expansion will be complete in May 2021” he said.
MrNdawula made the remarks while addressing journalists at the airport after a tour of the ongoing works at the departure, and arrival terminals, fuel farm, runways, cargo area and taxi ways.
“As the first phase gets complete the 12-30 runway at the old airport will not have lights in the first phase because airplanes that are only in class c (160 passenger carriers) will be landing here during day time. The electricity poles will be erected in the second phase of the expansion” he said
Mr Ndawula said there is an institutionalized progress committee meeting that looks at the projects that are ongoing every month to ensure works are completed on time.
The supervising consultant of the expansion works Mr Mark Donald of Dar Al – Handasah Shair & Partners said the 12:30 runway at the old Entebbe airport will be available for day time operations for small planes as works on the main runway at the new airport commence.
“We think our windows on the main runway will be between 6 o’clock in the morning and 12 noon every day and during that period the airplanes coming could land on this run way as long as it’s a small aircraft” he said.
He said they will have to limit work on the main runway at one o’clock to allow bigger air crafts come in and land on the runway.
