Arua Airport (IATA: RUA, ICAO: HUAR) is a civilian airport in Uganda. It is in the town of Arua, Arua District, West Nile Sub-Region, in the Northern Region of Uganda, close to the international borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and South Sudan. The airport is located only 12 miles (19 km) from Uganda's border with the DRC and about 20 miles (32 km) from the border between Uganda and South Sudan. The coordinates of this airport are 03°02′50″N 030°54′44″E / 3.04722°N 30.91222°E / 3.04722; 30.91222.[1] Its location is approximately 371 kilometres (231 mi), by air, northwest of Entebbe International Airport, Uganda's largest airport.[2]
Arua Airport is one of the 46 airports in the country.[3] It is the second-busiest airport in Uganda, behind Entebbe International Airport. Its strategic location makes Arua Airport an important center for both commercial and passenger air traffic between Uganda and its two neighbors, the DRC and South Sudan.
Facilities
The airport is situated at an elevation of 3,951 feet (1,204 m) above sea level.[4] It has a single unpaved runway designated 18/36 which is 1,800 metres (5,906 ft) in length and 30 metres (98 ft) in width,[5] although aeronautical charts give the runway length as 1,707 metres (5,600 ft).[4]
Airlines and destinations
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. A modern airport terminal with a capacity for 200 passengers will be constructed. In addition to tarmacking the surface, the runway will be widened from 30 metres (98 ft) to 45 metres (148 ft). It will also be lengthened from 1.8 kilometres (5,900 ft) to 2.5 kilometres (8,200 ft).[7] These improvements are part of the efforts to improve Arua Airport, Gulu Airport, and Kasese Airport to international standards. When these improvements are complete, the total number of international airports in Uganda will increase to four, including the only international Airport at Entebbe, as of July 2009.[8] As of December 2015, Arua Airport was one of the twelve upcountry airports under the administration of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority. It is also one of the five upcountry airports that are authorized to handle cross-border air traffic from member countries of the East African Community, as part of effort to promote tourism within Eastern Africa.[9] As of August 2012, plans to expand and improve the infrastructure and services at Arua Airport are in the advanced stages.[10]
See also
References
External links
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