The disruption at Kenya’s main aviation gateway is a reminder of how closely Uganda remains tied to Nairobi. But it also highlights an opportunity: build Entebbe into a stronger, more reliable gateway so that Uganda has more options when regional aviation networks come under pressure.
For thousands of travellers passing through Nairobi over the weekend, the journey simply stopped. Industrial action by members of the Kenya Aviation Workers Union disrupted operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, with the effects continuing into Monday, August 31. Passengers faced delays and cancellations as workers pursued grievances involving collective bargaining and other employment issues.
By Sunday evening, Kenya Airways said its scheduled flights were departing with average delays of between two and three hours because of operational constraints within Air Traffic Control services. Other airlines were also affected, with some flights cancelled altogether.
For Kenya, the disruption is an industrial relations problem. For Uganda, however, it is also a reminder of something deeper: how much of the country’s international connectivity still depends on an aviation gateway outside its borders.
Nairobi remains one of East Africa’s most important aviation hubs and a major connecting point for Ugandans travelling beyond the region. When operations at JKIA are disrupted, the effects can quickly spread to Ugandan travellers, businesses, tourism operators and cargo exporters.
A traveller may start a journey in Entebbe but still depend on a connection through Nairobi to reach a destination that is not served directly from Uganda. A disruption at JKIA can therefore mean missed connections, cancelled flights, unexpected accommodation costs and delays to business or travel plans.
For exporters, the consequences can be even more serious. Fresh produce, fish and flowers cannot simply wait indefinitely for an aviation network to recover. But the disruption also comes at a time when Uganda’s own aviation sector is changing.
Entebbe International Airport is no longer the relatively small regional gateway it once was. The airport handled 2,486,893 international passengers in 2025, up from 2,243,104 in 2024 and 1,932,094 in 2023, according to the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority. International passenger traffic therefore increased by almost 29 percent in just two years.
December 2025 alone produced a record 242,527 international passengers. The airport also handled 69,595 metric tonnes of cargo during the year, including exports such as fresh produce, fish and flowers.
These figures are important because they point to an aviation market that is expanding rather than simply recovering from the pandemic.
Uganda Airlines has also expanded the number of destinations that can be reached directly from Entebbe. Its network includes London, Dubai, Mumbai, Lagos, Abuja, Johannesburg, Accra, Kinshasa, Harare and Lusaka, alongside a number of East African destinations.
That expansion is gradually changing the calculation for Ugandan travellers. A passenger heading to London, Dubai, Mumbai or several major African cities no longer necessarily needs to begin by passing through Nairobi. Every viable direct route reduces the country’s dependence on an external hub and gives travellers another option when regional aviation networks are disrupted.
But this does not mean Entebbe is ready to replace JKIA. Nairobi has spent decades building the frequencies, connecting traffic, infrastructure and commercial ecosystem that have made it one of Africa’s leading aviation hubs. Kenya Airways’ extensive network gives Nairobi a scale of connectivity that Entebbe cannot yet match.
The point, therefore, is not to choose between Nairobi and Entebbe. It is to ensure that Uganda has enough alternatives that a disruption in Nairobi does not automatically become a disruption in Uganda.
That should be the strategic lesson from the current disruption. Uganda does not need to compete with Nairobi on every route or attempt to recreate JKIA in Entebbe. It needs to progressively strengthen the parts of its aviation system that can make the country less vulnerable to a single external gateway.
Direct connectivity is the most obvious starting point. Uganda Airlines can continue expanding its network where there is a credible commercial and strategic case, while the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority works to attract more international airlines and additional frequencies to Entebbe.
The objective should not simply be to announce more routes. Routes need sufficient passenger demand, competitive pricing and sustainable economics to survive. But where demand exists, direct connectivity has value that extends beyond the airline itself.
A direct flight can support tourism, business travel, conferences, investment and trade. It can also make Uganda more attractive to international visitors who might otherwise choose destinations that are easier to reach.
This matters particularly for tourism. Uganda has invested heavily in marketing itself as a destination, from its national parks and mountain gorillas to its growing conference and business tourism proposition. But the tourism product is only part of the equation. Getting visitors into the country conveniently is equally important.
A stronger Entebbe therefore becomes part of Uganda’s tourism strategy, rather than simply a piece of transport infrastructure.
The same applies to cargo. With nearly 70,000 metric tonnes of cargo passing through Entebbe in 2025, the airport is increasingly important to Uganda’s exporters. As agricultural exports grow, reliable air connectivity becomes even more valuable, particularly for products whose commercial value depends on reaching international markets quickly. This is where aviation resilience becomes an economic issue.
The JKIA disruption also offers another reason to look beyond the usual debate about whether a national carrier is profitable. Uganda Airlines gives the country a degree of control over its own international connectivity.
That does not mean the airline should be protected from commercial scrutiny. It still needs to operate efficiently, manage costs, build passenger volumes and maintain routes that make economic and strategic sense.
But an airline can also create value that is not immediately captured on its balance sheet. A direct connection can help a Ugandan business reach a new market, allow a tourist to visit the country more easily, enable an exporter to access a faster route to market or make Kampala more attractive for an international conference.
That wider economic value is part of the reason why Uganda should continue developing its aviation network while maintaining commercial discipline.
The goal should be a system in which Uganda is connected to the world through several viable channels rather than being excessively dependent on one neighbouring hub.
There is also a broader East African lesson. The region’s economies are becoming increasingly interconnected, but much of the infrastructure that supports that integration remains concentrated in individual countries.
JKIA is physically located in Kenya, but its importance extends well beyond Kenya. The same principle applies to major ports, roads and other transport networks. When one of these systems experiences a serious disruption, the economic consequences can cross borders almost immediately.
That makes resilience a regional concern. East African aviation authorities, airlines and businesses could do more to improve coordination during major disruptions, including mechanisms for sharing early warnings and identifying alternative connections.
Travel agencies, freight forwarders and logistics companies will also have a growing role to play. The ability to quickly identify alternative routes for passengers and cargo can become a competitive advantage in a region where transport networks are increasingly interconnected.
The industrial dispute in Kenya will eventually be resolved. Flights will resume normal operations, passengers will reach their destinations and JKIA will return to its role as one of the region’s principal aviation gateways.
But Uganda should not allow the return to normality to obscure what the disruption revealed. The lesson is not that Entebbe can replace Nairobi tomorrow. It cannot, and Uganda does not need it to. The opportunity is to reduce Uganda’s vulnerability to any single external gateway.
Entebbe’s international passenger traffic is growing. Uganda Airlines is connecting the country directly to destinations that once required foreign hubs. Cargo volumes are rising, while Uganda’s ambitions in tourism, trade and regional business continue to expand.
The next step is to turn those developments into a deliberate connectivity strategy. That means attracting more airlines and frequencies to Entebbe, supporting commercially sustainable direct routes, strengthening Uganda Airlines where there is a clear case for expansion and improving the airport’s ability to serve both passengers and exporters.
Nairobi’s strike is therefore more than a Kenyan aviation disruption. For Uganda, it is a reminder that aviation independence does not mean flying alone. It means having options.
