STATE HOUSE ENTEBBE: 18 February 2026– President Yoweri Museveni has directed the Prime Minister and relevant government ministries to facilitate a transformative transport project that will see the small government aerodrome at Nyakisharara, near Mbarara, evolved into a massive “mega” International Airport.
The project, to be spearheaded by Base Seven Company, is designed to position Uganda as the primary global transit hub between the burgeoning economies of Latin America (specifically Brazil) and China.
Redefining Global Flight Paths
In a statement dated February 11, 2026, President Museveni highlighted the “irrational and uneconomic” nature of current travel routes between South America and Asia, which often require flight times of 34 to 42 hours via Europe or North America.
By using Nyakisharara as a strategic refueling and transit nucleus, the President noted that flight times could be slashed by 14 to 22 hours.
South America to Nyakisharara: 9 hours
Nyakisharara to China: 11 hours
Total Flying Time: 20 hours
”Why such a big airport at the hitherto remote area of Uganda?” the President posed. “It is all on account of… the way the Globe was arranged by God and the new phenomenon of the unfolding global affluence.”
Massive Scale: Nearly Double the Size of Heathrow
The proposed facility is set to be a titan of aviation infrastructure, dwarfing some of the world’s most famous hubs. Covering 21 square kilometers, the airport will be nearly twice the land size of London’s Heathrow Airport.
The technical specifications include a total of three runways designed for heavy-duty international traffic:
Two Main Runways: 5.5 km each (significantly longer than Heathrow’s longest 3.9 km runway), and a VIP Reserve Runway: 3.7 km.
Financing and Implementation
The project will be executed under a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) arrangement. Base Seven Company will use private capital to develop the airport and accompanying luxury hotels, recovering their investment through user charges before eventually transferring the facility back to the Ugandan government.
The President identified Hunnan and Black Rock as the primary financiers, with the operator to be nominated by the funding partners.
Uganda’s “Five-Airport” Vision by 2031
This development is a cornerstone of Uganda’s ambitious plan to have five operational international airports by 2031, spreading economic growth across the country’s diverse regions:
