Uganda Unveils Bold Airport Overhaul as Kidepo Build Kicks Off and Kabalega Nears Completion
Uganda is firmly stepping onto the African aviation stage with one of the most ambitious airport development programmes the country has ever undertaken. The East African nation is simultaneously expanding six regional airports, building a brand-new international gateway in the remote Karamoja sub-region, and finalising another international facility just in time to welcome football fans for one of the continent's biggest sporting events. For African travel professionals tracking emerging destinations, Uganda's aviation push is fast becoming a story worth following closely.
The headline development came on 5 June 2026, when President Yoweri Museveni officially launched construction works for the long-awaited Kidepo International Airport in Karenga District. The groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of a project valued at more than 72 million US dollars and funded through a partnership between the Ugandan government and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry from the United Arab Emirates. Once completed, the facility will become Uganda's third international airport, joining Entebbe International Airport and the new Kabalega International Airport.
The Kidepo project is no modest undertaking. Plans include a 3.6-kilometre runway, a passenger terminal covering more than 7,400 square metres, and an expansive cargo terminal stretching across 74,200 square metres, alongside other supporting aviation facilities. Strategically located in Lomej, close to the headquarters of Kidepo Valley National Park, the new airport is set to dramatically improve access to one of Africa's most pristine yet underexplored wilderness areas. For tour operators across sub-Saharan Africa, this opens the door to packaging Kidepo Valley as a premium safari destination, finally cutting out the long and bumpy overland journeys that have traditionally deterred international visitors.
Meanwhile, in the western part of the country, Kabalega International Airport in Hoima is reported to be approximately 98 percent complete, with authorities racing to deliver the facility ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which Uganda will co-host. The airport is expected to play a crucial role in absorbing the inflow of football fans, journalists and officials, while also unlocking long-term opportunities tied to the country's growing oil and gas industry along the Albertine region.
Beyond these two flagship projects, Olive Lumonya, Acting Director General of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, has confirmed that government is moving forward with a wider plan to upgrade six priority airports across the country. Preparations for major works at Arua, Gulu and Kasese airports have already been completed and are now awaiting financing arrangements before construction can move forward. The smaller airports of Kisoro and Pakuba have also been earmarked for future development, ensuring that virtually every key tourism and economic hub in Uganda will eventually benefit from improved aviation infrastructure.
The strategic intent behind the programme is clear. Authorities are positioning these regional airports as catalysts for unlocking tourism potential, facilitating cross-border trade, and stimulating socio-economic development in regions that have historically been overlooked. Adding to the momentum, ten new companies are reportedly seeking air operating licences in Uganda, suggesting growing private-sector confidence in the country's aviation future.
For the African travel trade, Uganda's coordinated approach offers a compelling case study in how targeted aviation investment can reshape a destination's appeal. Improved access to attractions such as Kidepo Valley, Murchison Falls, the Rwenzori Mountains, and the gorilla parks of the south-west could redraw East African itineraries entirely. With AFCON 2027 acting as a powerful catalyst and longer-term infrastructure plans gaining traction, Uganda is signalling its intent to become a more accessible, more competitive and more diversified destination on the continent's tourism map. Travel businesses across sub-Saharan Africa would do well to start factoring these developments into their forward planning.
