By. Our Reporter.
MPS have called for the improvement on the access of Entebbe Airport for persons with disabilities and ordinary people.
This comes after the Bubulo west mp Rose Mutonyi complained about the ongoing renovations which she says are inconveniencing people with disabilities as they cannot easily access the place.
Mutonyi says that construction at the airport blocked the route which ordinary people were using and has left the only passage to be the one on steps which she says is very inconveniencing for people with big luggage, the elderly and disabled.
She urged the government to set up Protective measures for ordinary citizens including the elderly and those with disabilities at Entebbe International airport as renovation is going on.
The government chief whip Ruth Nankabirwa noted that renovations on going at the airport are temporary but has promised to direct the minister of transport Aggrey Bagyire to inspect the area so that they can rectify the problem.
However this did not satisfy mps like Jack wamanga wamai, William Nzoghu who said that the country needs to follow the same procedures like its done in other countries where people with disabilities are handled in a special way at the airports.
The mp representing people with disabilities Asamo Hellen informed parliament that those services exist at the airport though they are selective.
This prompted the deputy speaker Jacob Oulanyah to demand that government direct the construction company to set up ramps at the airport to deal with the problem .
Entebbe International was officially inaugurated in 1951 and is located roughly 40km from Uganda’s capital city Kampala.
The upgrade and expansion project forms part of a 20-year National Aviation Master Plan (2014-2033) unveiled by the Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda (CAA) in January 2015.
Work under the initiative is set to be carried out in three phases.
The expansion project aims to increase the passenger terminal’s capacity from the current 410 arriving and 320 departing passengers to 930 arriving and 820 departing passengers during peak hours.
The airport renovation will also enable to increase the availability and frequency of international flights.
Entebbe International Airport is anticipated to handle 6.1 million passengers and 172,000t of cargo a year by 2033 with the works estimated to cost over USD.400M.
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