Arua Airport

Arua Airport
IATA: RUA ICAO: HUAR
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Uganda Civil Aviation Authority
Serves	Arua, Uganda
Elevation  AMSL	3,951 ft / 1,204 m
Coordinates	3°02′50″N30°54′44″E / 3.04722°N 30.91222°E / 3.04722; 30.91222
Map
RUA Location of airport in Uganda
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 18/36 1,707 5,600 Unpaved

Arua Airport( IATA : RUA, ICAO : HUAR) is a civilian airport serving the city of Arua in the Northern Region of Uganda. As of November 2016 ^[update] , it is one of the 47 airports in the country. ^[1]

Location

The airport is 19 kilometres (12 mi) from Uganda's border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and about 32 kilometres (20 mi) from the border between Uganda and South Sudan. It is approximately 375 kilometres (233 mi) by air north-west of Entebbe International Airport, Uganda's largest airport. ^[2] The coordinates of Arua Airport are: 03°02'50.0"N, 30°54'44.0"E (Latitude:3.047222; Longitude:30.912222). ^[3]

Overview

Eagle Air at Entebbe International Airport

Arua Airport's strategic location makes Arua Airport an important center for passenger and cargo air traffic between Uganda and its two neighbors, the DRC and South Sudan. It the second-busiest airport in Uganda, after Entebbe International Airport. ^[4]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Eagle Air	Entebbe, Yei [5]
MAF Uganda	Kajjansi [6]
BAR Aviation Uganda	Entebbe

Planned improvements

In July 2009, the Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda, which owns and operates Arua Airport, publicly announced that it had started to upgrade the airport to international standards. Plans included a modern airport terminal with capacity for 200 passengers, paving the runway, widening it to 45 metres (148 ft), and extending it to 2.5 kilometres (8,200 ft). ^[7] However, these plans have stalled since 2009 because of a compensation dispute with local landowners. ^{[4] [8]}

These improvements are part of efforts to improve Arua Airport, Gulu Airport, and Kasese Airport to international standards. When these improvements are complete, Uganda will have four international airports, including the only preexisting international airport at Entebbe. ^[9]

Arua Airport is one of twelve upcountry airports administered by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority. It is also one of five upcountry airports authorized to handle cross-border air traffic from neighboring countries to promote tourism within Eastern Africa. ^{[10] [11]}

Developments

In February 2024, East of Eden Uganda Limited (EOE), a private investment company signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Works and Transport to fund, execute and publish a feasibility study to convert Arua Airport into Arua International Airport. ^[12] When the report is published and the parties agree on terms, it is expected that EOE will be awarded a concession to develop the international airport under the build–own–operate–transfer (BOOT) public private partnership arrangement. ^[13]

See also

• Ugandaportal
• Aviationportal
• Transport in Uganda
• List of airports in Uganda

References

1. CIA (2013). "The World Factbook: Transportation - Uganda". Langley, Virginia, USA: Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Retrieved 16 November 2016.
2. Flightconnections.com (19 May 2024). "Flight Distance Between Arua Airport, Arua, Northern Region, Uganda And Entebbe International Airport, Entebbe, Uganda". Flightconnections.com. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
3. Google (16 November 2016). "Location of Arua Airport, Uganda" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
4. Felix Warom Okello, and Clement Aluma (18 July 2013). "Arua airport project stalls over land conflict". Daily Monitor . Kampala. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
5. Eagle Air (1 August 2014). "Eagle Air Scheduled Flight Times Effective 1 August 2014". Entebbe: Eagle Air. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
6. Draku, Franklin (21 May 2019). "Government in talks with Amin family over Arua airport expansion". Daily Monitor . Kampala. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
7. Mugabi, Frank (9 July 2009). "Upgrading of Arua Airfield Commences". New Vision . Kampala. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
8. Robert Ariaka (7 January 2016). "CAA Starts Compensating Arua Residents". Kampala: Uganda Radio Network . Retrieved 16 November 2016.
9. Wolfgang Thome (22 January 2009). "Wolfgang's East Africa Tourism Report: The Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority Gets Busy In 2009". Entebbe: eTurboNews.com. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
10. Drisimaku Richard (12 July 2009). "Arua Airport Construction Begins". The Observer (Uganda) . Kampala. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
11. Paul Tajuba (30 January 2015). "CAA unveils master plan to create four new international airports". Daily Monitor . Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
12. Apollo Mubiru (29 February 2024). "Arua Airport To Get International Standards". New Vision . Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
13. Markson Omagor (28 February 2024). "Minister Katumba Signs MOU with Investor to Upgrade Arua Airport into International Airport". East News Uganda. Mbale, Uganda. Retrieved 19 May 2024.

External links

• Uganda Civil Aviation Authority
• Eagle Air Uganda
• Airport information for HUAR at Great Circle Mapper.
• Aeronautical chart and airport information for HUAR at SkyVector
• OpenStreetMap - Arua