Kabalega International Airport in Hoima District has handled its first known passenger traffic linked to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, as Uganda steps up preparations to co-host the continental tournament with Kenya and Tanzania.
A Uganda Airlines plane carrying the Libyan national football team landed at the airport on Sunday at 13:04 hours, marking a historic first for the newly constructed facility. The team was received by the Minister of Works and Transport, Hon. Fred Byamukama.
Earlier in the day, an Eagle Air flight carrying officials from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and members of the local organising committee had touched down at 10:30 a.m.
The successive flights provided an early practical test for the airport as Hoima prepares to host its first competitive international football fixture involving the Uganda Cranes. The Libyan team is in Uganda for an AFCON qualifier against Uganda at Hoima City Stadium on Tuesday.
“We warmly welcome the Libyan National Football team, which landed at Kabalega International Airport at 13:04 hours aboard Uganda Airlines,” the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.
Works and Transport Minister Fred Byamukama said the government had organised the flights to test the airport and demonstrate its preparedness ahead of its official commissioning.
The Hoima fixture also marks a new phase in the decentralisation of national-team football, being the first competitive international match for the Uganda Cranes outside the Kampala metropolitan area, apart from CECAFA Championship matches.
Uganda has already secured an automatic place at the 2027 AFCON finals as a host nation but is participating in the qualifiers to maintain competitive readiness ahead of the tournament.
The airport’s use for AFCON preparations is significant beyond football. Kabalega International Airport is one of the major infrastructure projects in the Albertine region, where Uganda is preparing for commercial oil production.
Construction started in April 2018, with financing arranged through Standard Chartered Bank. The airport is expected to facilitate the movement of personnel, equipment, and cargo associated with the oil and gas industry.
The facility has a 3.5-kilometre runway, 45 metres wide, a cargo terminal, fire station, control tower, apron, taxiway, passenger terminal, 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 had reached 98 percent 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.
The 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 was financed through Uganda’s Petroleum Fund and includes VVIP facilities, an indoor arena, a swimming pool, modern changing rooms and gyms, basketball and volleyball courts, media facilities, a hybrid pitch, and a VAR room.
The arrival of CAF officials, the Libyan team, and soon the Uganda Cranes gives the airport and stadium an early operational test ahead of the tournament. The country now looks to the Hoima fixture as one of the early opportunities to put the new sports and aviation infrastructure to use as preparations for AFCON 2027 gather pace.
