Kabalega International Airport in Hoima district on Sunday handled its first passenger flights linked to Uganda’s preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), providing an early operational test for the new facility.
An Eagle Air flight carrying officials from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and members of the local organising committee landed at the airport on Sunday morning.
The Libyan national team followed, touching down at 10:30 am aboard an Eagle Uganda-operated aircraft ahead of their Afcon qualifier against the Uganda Cranes at Hoima City Stadium on Tuesday.
The Libyan players were transported by road to Hoima City, where they will stay ahead of the match. The Uganda Cranes team later arrived aboard a Uganda Airlines aircraft.
The successive flights provided a practical test of the airport’s readiness as Hoima prepares to host its first competitive international football fixture involving the Uganda Cranes.
Works and Transport minister Fred Byamukama said the government had organised the flights to test the facility and demonstrate its preparedness ahead of its official commissioning.
The development comes as Uganda prepares to co-host the 2027 Afcon finals with Kenya and Tanzania. Although Uganda has an automatic place at the finals as a host nation, the Cranes are participating in the qualifiers to maintain competitive readiness.
The Hoima fixture also marks a new phase in the decentralisation of national-team football, being the first competitive international match involving the Cranes outside the Kampala metropolitan area, apart from CECAFA Championship matches.
Oil industry infrastructure
The use of Kabalega Airport for Afcon preparations also puts the spotlight on the facility’s wider economic role in the Albertine region, where Uganda is preparing for commercial oil production.
Construction of the airport started in April 2018, with financing arranged through Standard Chartered Bank. The facility is expected to support the movement of personnel, equipment and cargo for the oil and gas industry.
The airport has a 3.5-kilometre-long, 45-metre-wide runway, cargo terminal, fire station, control tower, apron, taxiway and passenger terminal, as well as navigation and communication systems and air-rescue firefighting facilities.
It is designed to accommodate up to four cargo aircraft simultaneously.
The contractor, a joint venture between Israeli-British firms Shikun & Binui International and Colas Limited, said in August that construction was 98 per cent complete and that the airport was expected to be handed over to the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority by the end of October.
The remaining major works at the time included installation of the air traffic control system.
Kabalega Airport is being tested alongside Hoima City Stadium, another major facility being prepared for the Afcon tournament.
The 20,000-seater stadium in Kyarwiru Cell, Hoima East Division, was constructed by SUMMA at a reported cost of $129 million.
The facility, financed through Uganda’s Petroleum Fund, includes VVIP facilities, an indoor arena, swimming pool, modern changing rooms and gyms, basketball and volleyball courts, media facilities, a hybrid pitch and a video assistant referee (VAR) room.