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Uganda Airlines

Coordinates: 00°02′40″N 32°26′33″E / 0.04444°N 32.44250°E / 0.04444; 32.44250
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This article is about the airline that started flying in 2019. For the previous airline, see Uganda Airlines (1976–2001)
Not to be confused with Air Uganda.

Uganda Airlines
File:Uganda Airlines Logo, 2019.png
IATA ICAO Call sign
UR UGD CRESTED
Founded30 January 2018 (2018-01-30)
Commenced operations28 August 2019 (2019-08-28)[1][2]
Hubs
Fleet size6[3][4][5][6][7]
Destinations10[8][9]
Parent companyGovernment of Uganda
HeadquartersEntebbe, Wakiso District, Uganda
Key people
Websitewww.ugandairlines.com

Uganda Airlines[a] (IATA: UR, ICAO: UGD) is the flag carrier of Uganda. The company is a revival[14] of the older Uganda Airlines which operated from 1977 until 2001.[15][16] It began flying in August 2019.[17]

Location

The company headquarters are located within Entebbe International Airport, in Wakiso District, approximately 34 kilometres (21 mi), by road, south of the central business district of Kampala, the capital and largest city in Uganda.[18]

History

Following studies and wide consultations, the Cabinet of Uganda, opted to re-launch Uganda Airlines,[19] with six new jets, two of which will be the wide-body, long-range A330-800 and the other four being CRJ900 aircraft.[20] The studies recommended an equity investment by the government of approximately US$70 million and loans totaling US$330 million, borrowed from regional lenders, such as the Trade and Development Bank, to complete the purchase.[21]

In May 2018, The EastAfrican reported that the Ugandan government, had made a small monetary deposit on each of the six aircraft, while it concludes final financing arrangements. The first batch of CRJ900 aircraft was expected in November 2018, while the delivery of the A330-800 planes was expected in December 2020.[22]

As of 19 March 2019, according to Ephraim Bagenda, the company's chief executive at the time, 12 pilots and 12 co-pilots (total of 24 cockpit crew), all of them Ugandans, had completed their training and certification on the CRJ900-ER aircraft. The first two regional jets were expected in Uganda in April 2019. The third jet was scheduled for delivery in July 2019 and the fourth CRJ900 was expected in September 2019. Between April and June 2019, the airline planned to obtain an Air operator's certificate (AOC) from the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority and start operations by 30 June 2019.[23] On 8 April 2019, the expected delivery date for the first two jets (5X-EQU and 5X-KOB) was reported as Tuesday 23 April 2019.[24][25][26]

In April 2019, the delivery of the first Bombardier CRJ900 was confirmed as 23 April 2019 and that of the first Airbus A330-800 as the first half of 2021.[27]

On 27 July 2019, the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority awarded Uganda National Airlines Company with an Air Operator Certificate, finalizing a five-step, three-month certification process that cleared the airline to commence commercial operations.[28] On 2 August 2019, the airline announced the launch date as the 28th of the same month, with flights to Nairobi, Mogadishu, Dar es Salaam, Juba, Kilimanjaro, Mombasa and Bujumbura.[8]

On the morning of 28 August 2019, Uganda Airlines had its first commercial flight from Entebbe to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) with eight passengers on board.[17]

On 13 November 2019, Uganda Airlines launched the first flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport; thereby completing the first phase of operations to seven routes which was started with flights to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport nearly three months earlier.[29]

On 16 December 2019, Uganda Airlines commenced regular commercial passenger service to Zanzibar in Tanzania. The three-times-weekly service, brings the airline's destinations to eight in the second phase of route expansion.[30]

On 1 October 2020, after a six-months pause in scheduled passenger service, due to travel restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Uganda Airlines resumed scheduled passenger service, in a phased manner. On that day, the airline's hub, Entebbe International Airport that had been closed to passenger traffic since March 2020, was opened for resumed passenger service.[31]

On 18 December 2020, Uganda Airlines launched commercial flights to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The three times weekly operation increases the airline's expanding network to nine.[32]

Destinations

Main article: List of Uganda Airlines destinations

It is expected that when Kabaale International Airport is completed in 2021, a network of flights to local, regional and international destinations, will be developed around the new airport.[33]

With the two A330-800 aircraft expected in December 2020 and January 2021, Uganda Airlines is expected to start flights to Europe, Asia and the Middle East during the first quarter of 2021.[34] The intercontinental and intracontinental destinations under consideration include: Heathrow Airport, Dubai International Airport, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Mumbai International Airport, airports in West Africa and airports in Southern Africa.[35][36]

In October 2020, it was reported that Uganda Airlines had received regulatory approval to begin scheduled passenger service to South Africa.[37][38]

Fleet

As of February 2021, the airline operates the following aircraft:[22][20] The aircraft were procured new from Airbus in Europe and Bombardier Aerospace in Canada.[39][40]

Uganda Airlines fleet
Aircraft In Fleet Orders Passengers Notes
C P Y Total
Airbus A330-841 2[7][41] — 20 28 210 258
Bombardier CRJ900ER 4[6][42] — 12 — 64 76
Total 6 —

In February 2019, the first of four CRJ900 aircraft that Uganda Airlines had ordered, took her first test flight with the livery of the new airline.[43] On 29 March 2019, the Ugandan parliament approved a request by the Ugandan government for USh280 billion (approx. US$76 million), to pay for the first two CRJ900s, expected to arrive in Uganda in April 2019.[44]

The third and fourth CRJ900 aircraft were delivered during the middle of October 2019, according to the Uganda Ministry of Works and Transport.[45] On 5 October 2019, the third and fourth CRJ900s, 5X–KDP and 5X–KNP left Montreal, Canada on their delivery journey to Entebbe, Uganda,[46][47] landing there on 7 October 2019.[6]

On 8 April 2019, the airline firmed up its order for two A330-841s.[27] On 16 October 2020, the first of two A330-841s that the airline ordered, registration number 5X-NIL, left the paint shop at Toulouse, France, with the livery of the airline. Delivery of the first aircraft took place on 21 December 2020.[37][38][48][49]

On that date, Airbus handed over the first of two A330-841s that the airline ordered in 2018, to a delegation of Ugandan government officials, led by General Katumba Wamala, the then Ugandan Minister of Works and Transport. A team of Ugandan pilots flew the aircraft, registration number 5X-NIL from Toulouse, France to Entebbe, Uganda on 22 December 2020, as flight number UR404.[3][50]

On 2 February 2021 the second of two A330-841s, registration number 5X-CRN was delivered from Toulouse, France to Entebbe, Uganda as flight number UR406, bringing the airline's fleet count to six aircraft.[51]

Governance

The airline is governed by a seven-person board of directors, including the following:[10][52][53]

  1. Godfrey Perez Ahabwe (Economist): Chairperson
  2. Benon Kajuna (Transport economist): Representing the Uganda Ministry of Works and Transport
  3. Godfrey Ssemugooma: Representing the Uganda Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development
  4. Catherine Asinde Poran: Independent, Non-Executive Director
  5. Rehema Mutazindwa: Independent, Non-Executive Director
  6. Charles Hamya: Independent, Non-Executive Director
  7. Stephen Aziku Zua: Independent, Non-Executive Director.

Staff

In September 2018, the airline placed advertisements in the local print media for prospective airline staff, including directors for maintenance, engineering, commercial affairs and finance. Also corporate quality manager, human resource, ground operations, sales and marketing, cabin services and planning managers are being sought for recruitment. Pilots, cabin crew staff, ticketing officers, human resource officers, IT personnel, station managers and accountants are among the many available positions.[54] In February 2019, The Independent reported that a total of sixteen pilots of the twenty four that had been recruited were sent for training on the operation of the CRJ900 aircraft. Eight were sent to Mirabel, near Montreal, where the jets are assembled. Another eight were sent to a facility in France. When the airline becomes fully functional, a total of thirty-six pilots will have been recruited and trained.[55] As of April 2019, 200 staff positions of an estimated 400 vacancies had been filled.[56]

In October 2019, the airline's board of directors began a search for a new substantive chief executive officer. The then CEO, Ephraim Bagyenda, was reassigned to Director of Engineering and Maintenance. Cornwell Muleya, the airline's technical director, was appointed CEO, in an acting capacity.[57] As of July 2020, the search for a substantive CEO was ongoing. In the meantime, Cornwell Muleya's contract as acting CEO was extended to February 2021.[58]

Ownership

The airline is jointly owned by two Ugandan Cabinet Ministries; the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and the Ministry of Works and Transport, on a 50/50 basis.[11][59]

Associations and memberships

In September 2019, Uganda National Airlines Company Limited was admitted as a member of the African Airlines Association, (AFRAA).[60]

Notes

  1. ^ The registered name of the company is Uganda National Airlines Company, but it trades as Uganda Airlines.[13]

References

  1. ^ Frederic Musisi (22 July 2019). "Uganda Airlines Maiden Flight Pushed To August". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  2. ^ Kampala Post Reporter (18 July 2019). "Uganda Airlines to Start Operations in August". Kampala Post. Kampala.
  3. ^ a b Eddie Ssejjoba (21 December 2020). "Uganda receives first Airbus A330neo". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  4. ^ Bombardier Commercial Aircraft (16 April 2019). "Bombardier Celebrates Delivery of First CRJ900 Aircraft to Uganda Airlines". GlobeNewswire. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  5. ^ Sands, Glenn (17 April 2019). "Bombardier delivers first CRJ900 to Uganda Airlines". Mytchett, Surrey, United Kingdom: Hmgaerospace.com. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  6. ^ a b c Abubaker Lubowa (7 October 2019). "Uganda Receives Two More Bombardier CRJ 900 Jetliners". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  7. ^ a b Luke Bodell (29 January 2021). "Uganda Airlines To Take Second Rare Airbus A330-841 On Tuesday". London, United Kingdom: Simple Flying. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  8. ^ a b Jonathan Kamoga (3 August 2019). "Uganda Airlines Takes Off August 28". The EastAfrican. Nairobi. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  9. ^ Sadab Kitatta Kaaya (2 January 2020). "Uganda Airlines, UTB collaborate to market Uganda". The Observer (Uganda). Kampala. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  10. ^ a b Julian Ninsiima (7 June 2019). "Ugandans have high expectations for National Airline! Minister Azuba inaugurates Uganda Airlines Board of Directors". Kampala: PMLDaily.com. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  11. ^ a b Dorothy Nakaweesi (11 October 2019). "Government in Search of New Uganda Airlines Boss". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  12. ^ Paul Ampurire (4 April 2019). "Meet Captain Michael Etiang: The New Chief Pilot of Uganda Airlines". Kampala Post. Kampala. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  13. ^ The Independent (10 April 2019). "Minister Azuba off to Canada to flag-off Uganda Airlines". The Independent (Uganda). Kampala. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  14. ^ 18 Jul; On-Location, 2018 Mark Nensel | ATW. "Revived Uganda flag carrier orders CRJ900s, A330neos". atwonline.com. Retrieved 21 August 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Moses Kyeyune (28 March 2019). "Government makes U-turn on new airlines ownership". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  16. ^ Ch-Aviation (25 July 2018). "Uganda Airlines to add first CRJ-900s in 1Q19". Chur, Switzerland: Ch-Aviation. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  17. ^ a b Uganda Radio Network (28 August 2019). "Uganda Airlines First Commercial Flight Had Eight Passengers On". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  18. ^ "Distance Between Amber House, Kampala Road, Kampala, Uganda and Entebbe International Airport, Entebbe, Uganda" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  19. ^ Yasiin Mugerwa (24 June 2016). "Uganda Airlines to fly again, says Museveni". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  20. ^ a b Uganda National Planning Authority (31 March 2018). "Feasibility Study of Revival of Uganda National Carrier" (PDF). Kampala: Uganda National Planning Authority. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  21. ^ Ch-Aviation (25 October 2016). "Kampala considers buying A330s, CRJs for Uganda Airlines 2.0". Switzerland: Ch-aviation. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  22. ^ a b Frederic Musisi (17 May 2018). "Government Buys Six Jets to Revive Uganda Airlines". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  23. ^ "Uganda Airlines Bombardier jets to arrive next month". The Independent. Kampala. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  24. ^ Kikonyogo Douglas Albert (8 April 2019). "The first of Uganda Airlines' CRJ900 is set to arrive on 23 April 2019". Techjaja.com. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  25. ^ Job Bwire (8 April 2019). "First Uganda Airlines Bombardier jetliner arrive two weeks from now". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  26. ^ Marco Massart (21 April 2019). "5X-KOB Uganda Airlines Bombardier CRJ-900 & 5X-EQU Uganda Airlines Bombardier CRJ-900 At Maastricht Aachen Airport On 21 April 2019". Maastricht Aachen Airport, Netherlands: Planespotters.net. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  27. ^ a b Kungu Al-Mahadi Adam (9 April 2019). "Uganda Has Firmed Up Its Order For Two Airbus A330neos". Kampala: SoftPower Uganda. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  28. ^ Paul Ampurire (27 July 2019). "Uganda Airlines Issued Air Operator Certificate By Civil Aviation Authority". Kampala: SoftPower Uganda. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  29. ^ The Edge Uganda (13 November 2019). "Uganda airlines makes maiden flight to Kilimanjaro". Kampala: The Edge Uganda. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  30. ^ Lucas Okello (16 December 2019). "Uganda Airlines Launches Flights To Zanzibar, Kigali Next". Kampala: Smart24 Television Uganda. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  31. ^ Luke Bodell (29 September 2020). "Uganda Prepares To Welcome International Flights From Thursday". London: Simple Flying. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  32. ^ Rebecca Kyobutungi (19 December 2020). "Uganda Airlines starts flight to Kinshasa". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  33. ^ Benjamin D Katz (7 August 2018). "Uganda Has Big Plans for New National Airline About to Take Off". New York City: Bloomberg News. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  34. ^ Paul Adude (29 August 2020). "Uganda Airlines to start operating intercontinental routes". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  35. ^ Joseph Kizza (18 November 2020). "Uganda's new Airbus plane completes test flight". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  36. ^ Taarifa (20 November 2020). "Uganda's Airbus Rolls Off Assembly Line, Begins Test Flights". Taarifa Rwanda. Kigali. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  37. ^ a b Linnea Ahlgren (16 October 2020). "Uganda Airlines' Rare Airbus A330-800neo Comes Out Of Paintshop". London: SimpleFlying. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  38. ^ a b John Tugume (16 October 2020). "Ugandans wowed as manufacturer posts photo of country's A330 plane". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  39. ^ Wakabi, Michael (17 May 2018). "Uganda Airlines planes due in November". The EastAfrican. Nairobi. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  40. ^ Michael Wakabi, and Allan Olingo (21 July 2018). "Uganda takes to the skies with 'unwanted' Airbus". The EastAfrican. Nairobi. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  41. ^ Airbus (18 July 2018). "Uganda Airlines orders two A330neo". Leiden, The Netherlands: Airbus SE. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  42. ^ SoftPower (16 April 2019). "Uganda Airlines Officially Receives 2 Bombardier CRJ900s in Canada". Kampala: SoftPower Uganda. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  43. ^ Brandon, Mark (16 February 2019). "Uganda Airlines First Bombardier CRJ-900 (CRJ9) in Action in Montreal" (Video). Youtube.com. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  44. ^ Kashaka, Umaru (29 March 2019). "MPs Approve Sh280 Billion For Uganda Airlines". New Vision. Kashaka. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  45. ^ Paul Ampurire (27 September 2019). "Uganda Airlines Two Remaining Bombardier Aircrafts [sic] Arrive in Two Weeks". Kampala: SoftPower Uganda. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  46. ^ Mark Brandon (5 October 2019). "Uganda Airlines Bombardier CRJ-900 Departing Montreal" (Video). Youtube.com. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  47. ^ The Independent (6 October 2019). "New Uganda Airlines Bombardiers Land in Netherlands". The Independent (Uganda). Kampala. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  48. ^ Zaref Anderson (18 October 2020). "First Airbus A330 for Uganda Airlines Completed". Vancouver, Canada: Aeronautics Online. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  49. ^ Editor (20 October 2020). "Uganda Airlines to receive A330-841 December 7". Kampala, Uganda: 256 Business News. Retrieved 31 October 2020. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  50. ^ Michael Wakabi (22 December 2020). "Uganda Airlines gets new Airbus". The EastAfrican. Nairobi. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  51. ^ Paul Adude (2 February 2021). "Airbus To Promote International Trade And Tourism, Says PM Rugunda". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  52. ^ Joan Akello (22 May 2019). "Cabinet Approves National Airlines Board of Directors". Kampala: Uganda Radio Network. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  53. ^ Julian Ninsiima (7 June 2019). "Ugandans Have High Expectations For National Airline! Minister Azuba Inaugurates Uganda Airlines Board of Directors". Kampala: PMLDaily.com. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  54. ^ Draku, Franklin (6 September 2018). "Uganda Airlines Starts Recruitment". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  55. ^ The Independent (4 February 2019). "Uganda Airlines' pilots start training". The Independent (Uganda). Kampala. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  56. ^ Apollo Mubiru (23 April 2019). "The first two Uganda Airlines planes arrive". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  57. ^ Isaac Khisa (23 October 2019). "Uganda Airlines New CEO Tasks Ahead". The Independent (Uganda). Kampala. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  58. ^ Dorothy Nakaweesi (20 July 2020). "Uganda Airlines rejects firm hired to search for new boss". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  59. ^ African Leadership (20 February 2019). "First Plane For Revived Uganda Airlines Arrives March 2019". African Leadership United Kingdom. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  60. ^ Logistics Update Africa Correspondent (6 September 2019). "AFRAA Receives Safarilink, Air Djibouti, Air Senegal, Uganda Airlines As Members". Logistics Update Africa. New Bombay, India. Retrieved 7 September 2019. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
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00°02′40″N 32°26′33″E / 0.04444°N 32.44250°E / 0.04444; 32.44250

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