Flights Delayed over Poor Runway Lighting at Entebbe Airport  

Aircrafts are struggling to land at Entebbe International Airport over poor lighting at the runway, a situation officials say poses danger to private and commercial airlines.

“Last night (Tuesday) there was darkness caused by failure of ground lighting which directs landing and taking off aircraft,” said a source at the airport.

The Uganda Airlines pilot had started descending when he realised that the airport runway was completely dark.

Doreen Nambatya Mulinda, the chief of marketing at Uganda Airlines, confirmed that the flight from Kinshasa delayed landing.

“It was because of air traffic control,” said Nambatya, before referring us to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for more information.

Qatar Airways was also delayed by two hours because it couldn’t take off.

It is understood Qatar Airways was able to take off after using portable airfield lights used to visually guide pilots in emergency situations.

ChimpReports understands the lights, which were procured at Shs 1bn, were recently fixed by Europa Engineers.

UCCA Speaks out

Contacted by Chimpreports, Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) publicist Vianney Luggya admitted that “on September 28, 2021 at around 7.05 pm power supply to the Ground Airfield lights went off.”

He added: “Preliminary indications are that the problem arose from an underground cable connecting to the airfield lighting system, which is undergoing repairs. It led to tripping of the circuit breaker for the newly installed remote control system for airfield lighting.”

Luggya further revealed that the “new remote control system has been in use on test/trial basis since 13th August 2021, and is expected to be officially commissioned in October after completion of a change management process.”

The delayed flights not only irritate air passengers and disrupt their schedules but also cause a decrease in efficiency.

For example, travellers on Qatar Airways transiting through Doha to Hong Kong missed connecting flights.

Flight disruptions also increase capital costs and lead to reallocation of flight crews and aircraft, and additional crew expenses.

In the meantime, said Luggya, “all possible mitigation measures, including implementation of operational procedures in the event of such occurrences have been put in place to avoid re-occurrence, and minimise disruption to service provision.”

“The few delays that may have been experienced are highly regretted. It is worth noting though that occasional delays sometimes happen in the aviation industry, and it is safer to delay a bit for safety reasons.”

Officials told this investigative website that such incidents are likely to affect Entebbe Airport’s record.

“If the situation is not corrected as soon as possible, the airport faces the risk of being flagged as unsafe for night landing,” said a source briefed about the incident.