Kampala Airport
Encyclopedia
Kampala Airport, also known as Kololo Airstrip, was an airport in Uganda
. It is one of the forty-six (46) airports in the country.
, in the centre of Kampala
, Uganda's capital and largest city. Its location is about 35 kilometres (21.7 mi), by air, north of Entebbe International Airport
, Uganda's largest airport. The geographic coordinates of this airport are 00°19′34"N 32°35′33"E. Kampala Airport is situated at 1197 metres (3,927.2 ft) above sea level, on the south-facing slope of Kololo Hill. The airport
had a single gravel runway
of 1000 x 60 yd (914 x 55 mt).
and military
, city airport, that served the city of Kampala
. The airport now serves as Independence Park and has no scheduled airline service. The airport is not administered by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority
.
, Governor of Uganda 1935 – 1940. It consisted of a 1000 x 60 yard all-weather gravel strip cut out of the hillside, with a small tarmac apron on the north side fronting a small hangar and the control building (which still exists).
Aviation use seems to have been low-key, with little justification for what was quite a major construction - the £18,500 contract having been awarded to Gailey & Roberts Ltd. All international traffic continued to use the existing airport at Entebbe
as Port of entry
– ironically, at the request of the Governor’s office: although Kololo was designated a “Customs Aerodrome” (from 1st November 1937). Wilson Airways based a de Havilland Dragonfly
(VP-KCA) at the airstrip for official and private charter within Uganda. There is no evidence, however, that any scheduled services were ever contemplated by this or any other airline.
A 1939 survey by Imperial Airways
notes that prior notice of intended arrival should be sent to P.W.D. Kampala: that Customs, Health and Immigration, and flares for a night landing were also available with prior notice. There was a small P.W.D. workshop, and a Wilson Airways ground engineer. There were no wireless facilities, the nearest W/T station being at Entebbe with the callsign VQQ.
Aviation use during WW2 is unknown – the airstrip however had fallen out of use by 1946 and remained unused thereafter. During the late 1940s / early 1950s Wampewo Avenue and the residential development of Nyonyi Gardens were laid out across the eastern end of the strip, shortening the remaining runway length to approximately 800 yards (730m).
The airstrip was used for the Independence Ceremony in October 1962 and for an open air Mass by Pope Paul VI
in 1969.
Possibly the last use of the airstrip by fixed-wing aircraft was in the mid-1970s by members of the Safari Rally
Committee who obtained special consent to operate from the site with a Cessna 310
. Any such use would be impossible nowadays due to the presence of mature trees and permanent fencing – any aviation use would be restricted to rotary-wing aircraft.
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. It is one of the forty-six (46) airports in the country.
Location
Kampala Airport was located on Kololo HillKololo
-Location:Kololo is close to the centre of Kampala, bordered by Naguru to the east, Bukoto to the north, Mulago to the northwest, Makerere to the west, Nakasero to the southwest and Kibuli to the south.-Overview:...
, in the centre of Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
, Uganda's capital and largest city. Its location is about 35 kilometres (21.7 mi), by air, north of Entebbe International Airport
Entebbe International Airport
Entebbe International Airport is the principal international airport of Uganda.-Location:It is located near the town of Entebbe, on the shores of Lake Victoria, and about from the capital, Kampala...
, Uganda's largest airport. The geographic coordinates of this airport are 00°19′34"N 32°35′33"E. Kampala Airport is situated at 1197 metres (3,927.2 ft) above sea level, on the south-facing slope of Kololo Hill. The airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
had a single gravel runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
of 1000 x 60 yd (914 x 55 mt).
Overview
Kampala Airport was a small civilianCivilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
and military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
, city airport, that served the city of Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
. The airport now serves as Independence Park and has no scheduled airline service. The airport is not administered by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority
Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda
The Civil Aviation Authority was created by an Act of Parliament in 1994 as a state agency of the Ministry of Transport, Housing and Communication...
.
History
Kololo Airstrip was constructed during 1936 at the instigation of Philip Euen MitchellPhilip Euen Mitchell
Sir Philip Euen Mitchell was a British Colonial administrator who served as Governor of Uganda , Governor of Fiji and Governor of Kenya .-Birth and education:...
, Governor of Uganda 1935 – 1940. It consisted of a 1000 x 60 yard all-weather gravel strip cut out of the hillside, with a small tarmac apron on the north side fronting a small hangar and the control building (which still exists).
Aviation use seems to have been low-key, with little justification for what was quite a major construction - the £18,500 contract having been awarded to Gailey & Roberts Ltd. All international traffic continued to use the existing airport at Entebbe
Entebbe International Airport
Entebbe International Airport is the principal international airport of Uganda.-Location:It is located near the town of Entebbe, on the shores of Lake Victoria, and about from the capital, Kampala...
as Port of entry
Port of entry
In general, a port of entry is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has a staff of people who check passports and visas and inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. International airports are usually ports of entry, as are road and rail crossings on a...
– ironically, at the request of the Governor’s office: although Kololo was designated a “Customs Aerodrome” (from 1st November 1937). Wilson Airways based a de Havilland Dragonfly
De Havilland Dragonfly
-References:*The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft . London: Orbis Publishing.*Hayes, P & King, B. de Havilland biplane transports. Coulsden: Gatwick Aviation Society ISBN 0 95304132 8...
(VP-KCA) at the airstrip for official and private charter within Uganda. There is no evidence, however, that any scheduled services were ever contemplated by this or any other airline.
A 1939 survey by Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long range air transport company, operating from 1924 to 1939 and serving parts of Europe but especially the Empire routes to South Africa, India and the Far East...
notes that prior notice of intended arrival should be sent to P.W.D. Kampala: that Customs, Health and Immigration, and flares for a night landing were also available with prior notice. There was a small P.W.D. workshop, and a Wilson Airways ground engineer. There were no wireless facilities, the nearest W/T station being at Entebbe with the callsign VQQ.
Aviation use during WW2 is unknown – the airstrip however had fallen out of use by 1946 and remained unused thereafter. During the late 1940s / early 1950s Wampewo Avenue and the residential development of Nyonyi Gardens were laid out across the eastern end of the strip, shortening the remaining runway length to approximately 800 yards (730m).
The airstrip was used for the Independence Ceremony in October 1962 and for an open air Mass by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
in 1969.
Possibly the last use of the airstrip by fixed-wing aircraft was in the mid-1970s by members of the Safari Rally
Safari Rally
The Safari Rally is considered by many to be the world's toughest rally. It was first held from 27 May to 1 June 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II...
Committee who obtained special consent to operate from the site with a Cessna 310
Cessna 310
The Cessna 310 is an American six-seat, low-wing, twin-engined monoplane that was produced by Cessna between 1954 and 1980. It was the first twin-engined aircraft that Cessna put into production after World War II.-Development:...
. Any such use would be impossible nowadays due to the presence of mature trees and permanent fencing – any aviation use would be restricted to rotary-wing aircraft.
See also
- KampalaKampalaKampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
- KololoKololo-Location:Kololo is close to the centre of Kampala, bordered by Naguru to the east, Bukoto to the north, Mulago to the northwest, Makerere to the west, Nakasero to the southwest and Kibuli to the south.-Overview:...
- Civil Aviation Authority of UgandaCivil Aviation Authority of UgandaThe Civil Aviation Authority was created by an Act of Parliament in 1994 as a state agency of the Ministry of Transport, Housing and Communication...
- List of airports in Uganda