Uganda Airlines is the flag carrier of Uganda. The company is a revival of the older Uganda Airlines which operated from 1977 until 2001. The current carrier began flying in August 2019. The company headquarters are located within Entebbe International Airport in Wakiso District, approximately 34km by road, south of the central business district of Kampala.
Positioned for tourism sector
Uganda Airlines is positioning itself as the carrier for tourists regionally and globally in the long term. Shakila Rahim Lamar, the Corporate Affairs & Public Relations Manager at Uganda Airlines, said last year that the Airline is an enabler in providing connectivity through its regional footprint and network expansion. “The Airline is marketing Uganda as a tourist destination through strategic partnerships with Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) and Travel Agents Associations.”, adding: “The Airline is also using its in-flight entertainment services to market Uganda’s Tourism sites.”
Having started commercial operations in August 2019, Uganda Airlines now operates a fleet of four (4) CRJ900 and two (2) Airbus A330-800neo.
The national carrier has expanded its network to 12 destinations since inception. Uganda Airlines current operational routes are Nairobi, Mombasa, Dubai, Kinshasa, Johannesburg, Juba, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam Mogadishu, Kilimanjaro, Kigali and Bujumbura.
Addressing the press recently, Jennifer Bamuturaki, the Ag. Chief Executive Officer at Uganda Airlines said the national carrier carried 154,245 passengers in 2021 compared to 93,780 in 2019 and 2020 combined. In October 2021, Uganda Airlines commenced direct flights to Dubai using the Airbus A330 neo state of the art Aircraft and is keen to launch more regional and international destinations.
According to Bamuturaki, Uganda Airlines plans “to include direct flights to cities in Europe, India and the Far East.” “We are also looking at points in DRC (Goma, Kisangani), West Africa (Lagos) and the Middle East (Saudi Arabia),” Bamuturaki said.
Cleared to fly to the UK
Uganda Airlines is on track with plans to reopen direct flights to Heathrow Airport in London, after getting an indication from authorities in the United Kingdom that it can operate the service. This follows the carrier’s application for services to the UK receiving preliminary approval.
Direct flights to Kigali
Uganda Airlines announced in March 2023 that it would resume direct flights to the Rwandan capital Kigali for the first time since its revamp in 2019.
The development followed several on-and-off engagements over the matter between officials from the two countries. Ugandan Foreign Affairs Minister Jeje Odongo made the announcement on March 21, 2023 at the conclusion of the two-day 11th Session of the Rwanda-Uganda Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) in Kigali.
According to Mr Odongo, the move seeks to address transport challenges faced by the business community from both countries, boost trade, enhance connectivity and contribute to the strengthening of people-to-people exchanges.