Uganda Airlines, the state-owned national carrier of Uganda, has announced the launch of three new destinations across the continent of Africa. The airline will commence scheduled services to Harare (Zimbabwe), Abuja (Nigeria), and Lusaka (Zambia) from its Entebbe home base in September 2024.
Kicking off this next round in the carrier’s African expansion plans, the new flights between Entebbe International Airport (EBB) and Abuja Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (ABV) will commence on September 12, 2024. The services will operate twice weekly on Sundays and Thursdays and will be operated by the carrier’s flagship Airbus A330-800neo as an extension of its Lagos services.
Following Abuja onto the list of destinations served will be Lusaka Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN) and Harare International Airport (HRE) with both joining the network on September 25, 2024. Both new routes will be flown by Canadair CRJ-900 regional jets.
The airline projects breaking even on the new routes within 18 months, largely assisted by lucrative cargo revenue. The expansion also marks the fifth anniversary and conclusion of the carrier’s three-year strategic plan aimed at building an efficient regional route network and improving overall fleet utilization.
Elsewhere, Uganda Airlines has increased frequencies to both Nairobi (Kenya) and Juba (South Sudan) and now operates 19 daily departures from Entebbe International Airport, contributing 20% of the airport’s total traffic.
The airline’s recent network expansion has aimed to bridge geographical gaps around the African continent, with the carrier hoping to strengthen its position as a robust and reliable regional player.
Overall, the airline’s expansion plans have sought to make business and leisure travel more accessible and affordable and are seen as a vital step in providing a feeder network for the carrier’s long-haul services to European and Asian destinations.
In June 2024, the airline reaffirmed its intention to start services between Entebbe and London-Gatwick Airport (LGW) later in 2024 and hopes to add flights to China and also to the US once additional aircraft are delivered to the airline.
The company currently operates a fleet of four CRJ900LRs and two Airbus A330-800neos. The airline also operates a wet-leased Airbus A320 on international routes. To assist with its future growth plans, the carrier also issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for up to four leased Airbus A320neos earlier in 2024 after receiving approval from the Uganda government. These planes are needed in the short term due to the lengthy lead times for new aircraft.
Additionally, following a meeting between airline officials and Boeing in April 2024, the airline has reportedly secured the acquisition of a 737-800F and a 777F, as well as two 787 Dreamliners to assist the carrier in expediting its ambitious international and cargo growth strategy.
