UGANDA Airlines has plans to
rapidly expand its network and
says it will fly to Johannesburg
by December.
The airline already flies direct
to several main East African
destinations, including Tanzania
(Arusha, Moshi and Dar es Salaam),
South Sudan (Juba), and Kenya
(Nairobi and Mombasa).
The ceo of Uganda Airlines,
Bagenda Ephraim, along with a
delegation of national government
members, signed a deal for two
new Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft,
which will be delivered in the middle
of October.
The new aircraft will enable the
airline to expand its network,
including Johannesburg. Other
destinations include the DRC,
Zanzibar, Asmara, Hargeisa, Lusaka,
Harare, Addis Ababa, and Djibouti.
Long term, the airline plans to
introduce flights to Europe, the
Middle East, West Africa and Asia.
The goal is to serve 20 destinations
by the end of 2021, according to
the airline’s website.
However, Andries Ntjane, the
deputy director for Licensing and
Permits told TNW the department
had not yet received an application
from Uganda Airlines, “nor a
request for designation on the
bilateral side for any operator
from Uganda”.
“Additional frequencies to Uganda
are always welcome as the increase
in competition between airlines
tends to bring down flight prices
and give consumers more choice,”
says Sarah Whiteside, director of
Earth Wanderer. “Uganda is notably
more affordable than Rwanda when
it comes to gorilla trekking and,
as a result, we have been starting
and ending more of our tours in
Entebbe.
“Direct flights to Uganda would
make travelling to this destination
much more convenient.”
