Excitement in Mbarara as Museveni Backs International Airport Plan

Yoweri Museveni has ordered government agencies to fast-track development of a proposed international airport in western Uganda, saying the facility could position the country as a refueling hub for long-haul flights between South America and Asia.

In a Feb. 11, 2026 letter to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, Museveni directed ministries to support Base Seven Company in implementing what he described as a “mega transport project” at and around the government aerodrome at Nyakyisharara near Mbarara.

The President argued that shifting global trade patterns — particularly between South America and China — have created demand for new aviation corridors.

“These two zones of the globe are now trading and communicating with one another. However, their route of communication is wholly irrational and uneconomic,” Museveni wrote, noting that current routes can take between 34 and 42 hours.

He said a refueling stop in western Uganda could reduce total flying time to about 20 hours — nine hours from South America to Nyakyisharara and eleven hours onward to China.

Private financing model

Museveni said the project would be privately financed under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) arrangement, with investors recovering costs through airport user fees and related facilities such as hotels before transferring the project to government after an agreed period.

The financiers were identified as Hunan and Black Rock, with the operator to be nominated by the investors.

According to the directive, the airport complex would span about 21 square kilometers and include two 5.5-kilometer runways and a 3.7-kilometer reserve runway for VIP use. The developer would use government land at the aerodrome and acquire additional land from neighboring owners.

Museveni also instructed that the Ibanda–Mbarara road be shifted east of the aerodrome at the developer’s cost if necessary, and directed the ministries of Works and Transport, Lands, Finance, and the Attorney General to coordinate implementation.

Base Seven operates the Base 7 International Aviation Academy and is developing aviation training and aircraft maintenance facilities at the Nyakyisharara airfield.

Rising air traffic

The directive comes amid growing passenger traffic in Uganda and across Africa.

Entebbe International Airport handled about 2.24 million international passengers in 2024, up from roughly 1.93 million in 2023. Between January and November 2025, the airport recorded 2.24 million passengers, already surpassing the previous year’s total.

Across the continent, the African Airlines Association projects 113 million passengers for African carriers in 2025, up from 98 million in 2024, with long-term growth estimated at around 6% annually.

If implemented, the Nyakyisharara airport would be one of Uganda’s largest aviation projects, signaling a push to position the country along emerging long-haul air routes as global travel demand expands.