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Cargo operations at Entebbe Airport, 70% of the cargo is tax exempted, and the remaining 30% generates significant revenue. The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) is implementing improvements to enhance the passenger experience, and the recently purchased ramp equipment will facilitate travelers. The overall goal is to provide better customer service and increase the airport’s capacity.

Whereas 70% of the cargo that goes through Entebbe Airport is tax exempted, the remaining 30% generates revenue worth shillings three billion in a financial year. 

Medical supplies, cargo for government initiatives, and spare parts for businesses or equipment for aircraft maintenance are all exempt cargo. Simon Esunget, the customs supervisor at Entebbe Airport, disclosed this.

Esunget emphasized the significance of freight handling and pointed out that it employs millions of Ugandans.

He said this on Saturday 5th August while displaying a shipment of ground support equipment that Menzies, previously Enhas, a business that manages 80% of the cargo at Entebbe airport, had imported and constructed.

“From a customs perspective, we are excited with this addition because it helps drive the agenda for service quality enhancement for people who use the airport to bring the cargo into the country,” the customs officer said.

Electric forklifts, lift tracks, and a £1 billion Cobus bus are among the pieces of machinery.

Menzies’ general manager Nouamane Zahouani stated that the business is working to replace its traditional diesel equipment with electric versions in order to protect the environment. He omitted to mention the total cost of the equipment Menzies had to purchase, though.

“According to the UCAA Vision 2025–2024, we are implementing a whole new system to improve the passenger experience,” Zahouani said.

The new machinery will complement the present advances at Entebbe airport, according to Emmanuel Barungi, general manager of Entebbe airport, who listed many renovations and extension projects now being carried out by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA).

Eng. Ayub Sooma, the director for airports and aviation security, backed up Barungi’s claim by saying that the recently purchased ramp equipment will facilitate travelers from the ramp to the terminal building in addition to the forklifts that will be employed in the recently launched cargo complex.

“The capacity has been improved with extra ground handling equipment, and we anticipate providing better customer service as a result,” Sooma added.