Photo Travel Radar

On Tuesday 28^th December 2021, the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) confirmed that the United Arabs Emirates (UAE) had banned direct flights from Uganda following the rapid spread of COVID-19 variant Omicron in the country.

In a statement issued by UCAA on their Twitter account, the organisation said that; “UAE has temporarily suspended flights from Uganda to Dubai until further notice. Incoming Emirates flights from Dubai are still operational. Passengers planning to travel to Dubai are advised to contact their respective airlines for guidance on any changes in the restrictions.”

UAE also suspended flights from Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and Nigeria to tighten the ban on Uganda. Passengers who were transited through these four countries in the last 14 days are not allowed to enter Dubai.

This left many travelers stranded at Entebbe International Airport especially nationals who were travelling to UAE for work under various recruitment agencies.

One of the recruitment agencies, KHM international consultants in their statement expressed how the ban affected their clients whose flights were scheduled for this week. This indicates that the ban is affecting various sectors and businesses in the region, that’s the aviation industry, tourism sector(tourists scared off by the pandemic in the region) and the labour importation sectors which are big influencers on the economy of Uganda and the East African region.

Passengers Exempted from the Ban

Those exempted from the ban include employees of the Official Mission between UAE and the aforesaid nations, UAE nationals, 1^st degree relatives and their domestic workers, members of the Diplomatic missions between UAE and the aforesaid nations, and lastly the holders of a UAE Golden Visa.

The exempted passengers must also follow certain rules, that is;- Present a negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate with a QR code for a test conducted at an approved facility within 48 hours of departure, must present a negative COVID-19 Rapid or Real Time PCR test certificate with a QR code for a test conducted at the departure airport within 6 hours of departure, undergo COVID-19 PCR test on arrival and must remain in self quarantine until they receive the test results.

Those planning to travel please check the requirements of the country your are departing from as you may need to take a particular type of COVID-19 test specified by your destination. - Katongole Andrew, Travel Radar

Photo via Anadolu Agency

A Turkish construction firm on Tuesday secured a lucrative deal to build a 368-kilometer (229-mile) section of standard gauge railway line linking the largest port city in Tanzania with the hinterland, in a move highlighting confidence in its work.

The deal, which is expected to cost $1.9 billion is part of three out of four deals the company has so far clinched from the Tanzanian government as part of its broader push to finish a 1,219-kilometer (757-mile) railway line which is expected to unlock trade potential with the landlocked countries of Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.

Officiating the contract signing ceremony between Tanzania Railways Corporation head Masanja Kadogosa and Turkish construction firm Yapi Merkezi Deputy Chair Erden Arioglu on Tuesday, President Samia Suluhu Hassan said the 368-km stretch from Makutupora in the capital city Dodoma to Tabora would be built with borrowed money.

"We will find friendly loan facilities and the best ways to get loans. We won't get this money from levies or from domestic taxes," she said.

The project is part of the central corridor which will connect Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania and provide access to Indian ocean for all related.

Kadogosa said the stretch will link Makutopora with the historical town of Tabora, in the country's central region and unlock potential for trade.

According to Yapi Merkezi officials, the railway line will establish a safe and reliable transportation between Dar es Salaam and other parts of the country.

After its completion, the railway is expected to bolster the overall economy of Tanzania especially in the field of trade and tourism, officials said.

According to Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, the use of rails instead of road transport will serve to reduced costs and save roads from destruction by heavy vehicles and conserve the environment. - Kizito Makoye, Anadolu Agency

Ariel view of Juba Airport. Photo via Radio Tamazuj

JUBA — South Sudan has taken ownership of its sovereign lower airspace from Sudan, the country’s Minister of Transport Madut Biar Yil said on Saturday.

Speaking during the launch of the South Sudan Pilots’ Association in Juba on Saturday, Biar said the country has finally taken control of its lower airspace and is establishing infrastructure aimed at reclaiming its upper airspace.

“We are now controlling our lower airspace, we are now independent of Sudan and we are building now and the company is now working necessary infrastructure to control our upper airspace so that we become now an independent country not only by land but also by air,” Biar said during the launch of the South Sudan Pilots’ Association in Juba over the weekend.

In 2016, the government of South Sudan signed a three-year agreement with Sudan under the International Civil Aviation Organization to manage and control its airspace.

According to the agreement, South Sudan would take over the control of its airspace territory after training and acquiring a qualified workforce to oversee the system.

In September, the Sudanese committee managing the airspace was directed by the cabinet to continue its job until South Sudan is ready to assume the role.

Biar said Sudan failed to train Civil Aviation Staff who should take control of their airspace after three years.

“Sudan was given the management of our airspace collecting fees from our airspace in the tune of millions of dollars per month and they couldn’t meet their obligations to train our Civil Aviation Staff until the coronavirus came in and it becomes an excuse,” he said.

South Sudan will be able to collect fees from all aircraft using the airspace; a source of revenue that could bring in tens of millions of dollars each year once the full upper airspace is reclaimed. - Sudans Post