Today in History: Entebbe Airport Opens as Africa’s Largest Aviation Facility

What the report says

Nile Post reports that Entebbe International Airport was officially opened on November 10, 1951, after major runway upgrades that included a 3,000-metre strip built for longer-range commercial aircraft. At the time, the airport was described as Africa’s largest aviation facility, reflecting its scale and the modern infrastructure developed during the late colonial period in Uganda.

According to the article, the site was chosen in 1947 because of Entebbe’s location on the shores of Lake Victoria, which was seen as suitable for international aviation. The airport replaced earlier, more basic landing strips and built on Entebbe’s earlier role in the region, when flying boats used by British Imperial Airways operated from Lake Victoria in the 1920s and 1930s on routes linking England and southern Africa.

The opening marked an important milestone for Uganda’s aviation sector and helped establish Entebbe as a leading airport in Africa during the early 1950s. The article also notes that Queen Elizabeth II visited the airport during her 1952–1954 tour, adding to its international profile.

Nile Post says the airport has continued to evolve, with a new terminal built in the early 1970s, damage during the 1979 Uganda-Tanzania War, and rehabilitation work in later decades. More recently, the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority has carried out modernization projects to expand passenger and cargo capacity, underscoring Entebbe’s continuing role as Uganda’s main international gateway.