Revived Uganda Airlines is set to reenter the East African skyline this week after nearly 18 years out of the skies. The airline plans to four initial destinations Nairobi, Dar-es-Salaam, Juba, and Mogadishu this week.
The Ugandan government laid out Ush. 575 billion (Ksh16 billion) revival plan that will see Ugandan Airline make its maiden flights to Nairobi on Wednesday and Juba later this week.
Ugandan Airline will be operating from the Entebbe International Airport that has been undergoing renovation and expansion to improve aviation safety.
The airline will fly from Entebbe to Nairobi twice daily, ten times weekly to Juba, thrice weekly to Mombasa, and four times weekly to Mogadishu.
New Destinations
Other East African destinations include Bujumbura (Three times weekly), Mombasa (Three times weekly), and Kilimanjaro (daily)
Operation in East African routes is the first step before expanding to other African destinations such as Harare, Accra, Lusaka, and Johannesburg
Ugandan Airlines had delayed international flights due to delays – in acquiring the Air Operator Certificate (AOC). Issuance of the Air Operator Certificate in July gave the green light for the Ugandan airlines to commence international flights.
Part of the revival plans is to streamline operations leading to a reduction in air transport cost and increase Uganda’s competitiveness in the region. The airline had been liquidated in 2001 due to public debt and mismanagement.
New Planes
Ugandan Airlines has acquired four Bombardier CRJ 900s for regional flights with two delivered in April and the other two expected in September.
In addition, the government has made a downpayment for two AIRBUS A330-800 Neos – for long haul flights – expected to be delivered between 2020-2021.
