Fact-check: This picture is of Dubai International Airport, not Entebbe

The picture making rounds on social media is not of Entebbe International Airport (EBB) but that of Dubai International Airport (DXB)

Writer: Jibi Moses

An image allegedly of the interior of Entebbe International Airport posted by an X (Formerly Twitter) user on January 18, 2024, is false.

“The interior of #Entebbe International Airport,” reads the image caption, which has since attracted 2,058 views, 7 reposts, six comments, and 40 likes at this publication. 

Entebbe International Airport lies astride the equator at latitude 00.020 North and longitude 320 East located 40 kilometers southwest of Kampala City, Uganda’s capital, according to the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority.

Screenshots of the post by X user and some of the comments.

Other searches show that the same image was used by another social media user on Facebook with the caption, “Inside view of “Entebbe” International Airport.”

Claim Verification:

211 Check carried out a Google reverse Image Search on the picture, and it got several results showing the image as that of Dubai International Airport.

Other search engines, such as Microsoft Bing, Baidu, Google, and Yandex, all show the image in different instances, as that of Dubai International Airport. 

The image is also among a collection of images by Alamy, titled Dubai International Airport Air Hub captioned, “A picture taken on August 21, 2017, in the airport of Dubai, UAE,“

The screen of the image as it appears on the Alamy website in 2017.

Dubai International Airport:

According to Google Maps, Dubai International Airport is a four-star airport located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East—an intercontinental hub for the UAE with a purpose-built jet airliner facility concourse.

The same picture of the airport was uploaded to Google Maps by Ibrahim Falqi in December 2022.

Some sources that used the image with reference to Dubai International Airport are here, here, and here, among others.

A screenshot of the picture as it appears on Google Maps (photos) 

Entebbe International Airport:

According to the country’s civil aviation authority, Entebbe International Airport is Uganda’s only international airport located about 6 kilometres southwest of Entebbe, on the northern shores of Lake Victoria.

In 2022, the Government of Uganda gave the National Army’s (UPDF) engineering brigade contract to renovate and upgrade the airport. Some links to the articles that published stories for the renovation are here, here, here, and here.

On Wednesday, January 10, 2024, the renovated terminal was opened to the public ahead of the  NAM summit, which is happening in Uganda, which means an increase in the number of arrivals.

Many Ugandan news outlets reported this and shared the images as 1, 2, and 3, among others.

A screenshot of a section of the renovated Entebbe International Airport, as reported by the Daily Monitor.

A screenshot of Entebbe International Airport as reported by the New Vision.

Conclusion:

211 Check has found that the picture posted on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) allegedly of Entebbe International Airport is false. 

The picture shows Dubai International Airport from the Middle Eastern country of the United Arab Emirates taken on August 21, 2017, according to Alamy, a playground for creatives looking for fresh and inclusive content.

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