According to the state minister for Works Fred Byamukama, the government plans to buy an additional six commercial aircrafts to be added to the Uganda Airlines fleet, including four Dreamliners and mid-range models. This move will facilitate trade, investment, and economic cooperation, which will benefit businesses and the global economy as well as those in Uganda and Africa.
The minister spoke at the inaugural flight of Uganda Airlines to Abuja, the airline’s second destination in Nigeria. “President Museveni has already approved the move to purchase more aircrafts. This is in appreciation towards the significance and great performance of Uganda airlines; if they were not doing well, we would be pushing for this support,” noted Byamukama.
The Minister stated at the unveiling that direct flights to Abuja will broaden Uganda Airlines’ domestic reach and facilitate travel from Nigeria to Uganda and vice versa.
“This will boost Uganda’s tourism sector by increasing the flow of Nigerian visitors. Although Nigerian movies have already introduced Ugandans to Nigerian culture, the availability of flights will take cultural interaction between Ugandans and Nigerians to the next level. Africa is pursuing continental integration. Starting with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the next step is to get the RECs to know and talk to each other” the minister stated.
As per Jenifer Bamuturaki, CEO of Uganda Airlines, the company’s losses have decreased, and she attributes this to the airline’s increase of flights over 14 routes. “We will be using the Airbus for the two combined routes and the flight number will be UR900. We are very proud to be alive today to see this and to keep our promise to the country, Uganda and Nigeria” Bamuturaki said.
CEO Jenifer Bamuturaki emphasized that these upgrades will improve connectivity throughout Africa, enabling trade, tourism, business, and cross-cultural interactions. Uganda Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, launched its inaugural trip to Abuja, Nigeria, carrying more than 162 passengers.
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The Airbus A330-800neo aircraft will be used for weekly flights, leaving Entebbe at 16:00 and landing in Abuja at 18:15. The route will run every Thursday and Sunday. The airline will also start operating four weekly CRJ-900 flights to Lusaka, Zambia, and Harare, Zimbabwe, this month.
Uganda Airlines’ ten-year strategy to connect East, West, North, and South Africa includes the expansion.
