Uganda: Shikun & Binui International (SBI) and Colas Limited is all set to handle Kabalega International Airport from October 31, 2026 after eight years of construction. The airport will serve both AFCON and EACOP. Also, Uganda’s oil industry will enter the market in October and Afcon in 2027.
The contractor of Kabalega International Airport in Hoima District said that the facility will be handed over to the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) by the end of October, as 98% of the work is complete. The project contractor is a joint venture of Israeli-British firms Shikun & Binui International (SBI) and Colas Limited. They said that only the installation of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower remains before the airport is ready for commissioning.
Public Relations Officer at SBC Uganda Limited – Amos Muriisa told the Uganda Radio Network (URN) that major components of the airport have already been completed and that work on the control tower is now underway. According to Muriisa, delays in procuring the Air Traffic Control tower were the main reason the project missed earlier completion deadlines.
Muriisa added that the Air Traffic Control Tower delayed the project, but it is already on site, and they are working on it. This is the only remaining component required to make the airport operational. They hope that by October 31, they shall hand over the airport to the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA).
He said that the control tower is expected to be fully installed by the end of August 2026. He expressed confidence that the October handover deadline will be met without further extensions.
After eight years of construction, Shikun & Binui International (SBI) and Colas Limited will handle over Kabalega International Airport on 31st October 2026. ATC installation to be completed by the end of August.
The airport will serve both AFCON and EACOP. Uganda’s oil enters… pic.twitter.com/v5KSzhvgtx
— Akech Andrew (@akech_andrew) August 6, 2026
Muriisa attributed earlier delays to several factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced construction activities to stop for several months, as well as delayed government funding, particularly in 2023. He said that the construction has been completed on most of the airport’s key infrastructure. It mainly includes:
- 3.5-kilometre-long and 45-metre-wide runway
- cargo terminal
- passenger terminal
- air rescue and firefighting station
- taxiways
- airfield lighting system
- communications and navigation systems
- power substation
- perimeter fence and other supporting facilities
Construction of Kabalega International Airport began in 2018 and was initially scheduled for completion within three-years. However, the project has experienced several delays.
The airport is expected to play a key role in supporting Uganda’s commercial oil production in the Albertine Graben by facilitating the movement of personnel, equipment and cargo. Financed by Standard Chartered Bank at a cost of USD 309 million, Kabalega International Airport will have the capacity to accommodate four cargo aircraft simultaneously.
In February 2023, the contractor suspended construction after citing a funding shortfall. The suspension followed the government’s failure to release an additional Shs126 billion required to complete the remaining works, despite of the repeated requests by the contractor for additional financing as it could not continue construction without the necessary resources.