By Moses Sserwanga
Entebbe, Uganda – The national carrier -Uganda Airlines now on a steady path to open
up the minerals rich African continent has recorded another major milestone by launching direct flights to the commercial
hub of West Africa – Abuja Nigeria.
Later this month the airline ,hardly five years in operation will
spread its wings to Lusaka Zambia and Harare Zimbabwe. Executives at the
airline, led by CEO Jennifer Bamuturaki, say the latest routes-opening is part
of a broader strategy to expand its
services across the vast African continent to boost trade and enhance regional
connectivity- a corner stone of the African Continental Free
Trade Area (AfCTA,) development agenda.
Fred K. Bamwesigye, the Director General of the Uganda Civil
Aviation Authority (UCAA), the national air travel regulator was elated by
Uganda Airlines latest achievement in a short period of time -noting marked growth of Uganda’s aviation
system and its potential to foster deeper ties between Uganda and West Africa.
Bamwesigye highlighted the
instrumental role played by the UCAA in facilitating Uganda Airlines' growth
and expansion. The authority has been a strong partner in ensuring that Uganda
Airlines adheres to the highest standards of safety, security, and service
throughout its operations.
“We are committed to supporting Uganda Airlines through this process and in its
future expansion plans,” Bamwesigye stated while explaining that the UCAA's
role goes beyond regulatory oversight, offering strategic guidance and
infrastructure development to accommodate the airline’s growing needs.
This has been particularly
crucial in securing the success of the Abuja route, as well as Uganda Airlines’
planned expansion to other African and international destinations.
The launch of the Entebbe-Abuja
route comes a year after Uganda Airlines introduced flights to Lagos, Nigeria
making it the 14th destination on a growing list of its network. This new
connection is expected to enhance trade between the two nations, enabling
faster and more efficient movement of goods and people.
The inaugural UR 900 service to Abuja departed Entebbe at
16:00 hours on September 12, with a same-day arrival at Abuja Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport at 18:15.
“We are proud to be living up to our promise to take
Nigeria to Uganda and bring Uganda to Nigeria, Abuja is now our 14th point as
we embark on our expansion plan,” a jovial , Jenifer Bamuturaki, stated.
“Abuja is our second destination in Nigeria and the
fourteenth overall in our network. Its launch underscores our continuing
commitment to ease travel across Africa by providing efficient and affordable
air services to facilitate business, tourism, and leisure travel,” Bamuturaki
added.
The new route to Abuja will feed into the Lagos service reducing the travel lead times further,
and- available on Thursday and Sunday –while flying national carrier’s flagship
Airbus A330-800neo aircraft.
Fred Byamukama, the Minister of State for Works, said this
development and others that will follow validate the government’s foresight and
strategic vision in its decision to restart the national carrier five years ago.
“Africa is severely disconnected, which makes cooperation and
commerce very difficult and expensive. In the absence of efficient and
functional road, rail and waterways, air transport is the low-hanging fruit as
member states move to implement the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA,)”
Byamukama stated.
“Abuja is a major
economic and political centre in Nigeria that plays a crucial role in bilateral
cooperation between Uganda and Nigeria. By establishing a route there,
Uganda Airlines is enhancing connectivity between the two countries,” he said,
adding that increasing air connectivity within Africa will help reduce travel
times, lower costs, and improve accessibility across the continent.
He said this will facilitate trade, investment, and
economic cooperation, benefiting businesses and the overall economy in both
Uganda and Nigeria.
“Direct flights to Abuja will increase Uganda Airlines’
catchment area in the country and make it easier for tourists from Nigeria to
visit 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,” he added.
He added that this new flight shows Uganda’s commitment to
delivering Africa’s continental integration agenda through enhanced mutual
accessibility.
Abuja launch will be followed by Lusaka and Harare starting
September 25. Officials said the new services will support revenue growth,
improve fleet utilization and primes the carrier for planned expansion into
Europe and Asia.
“The entry into these markets is meant to build an efficient-optimised
regional market which will feed and finance a more profitable long-haul market;
grow the aircraft fleet utilisation, create a robust regional network that will
serve as a feeder for the Uganda Airlines’ long-haul market, especially London,
Mumbai, Guangzhou and Dubai and most importantly support Uganda Airline’s
Africa network connectivity,” chief executive Jenifer Bamuturaki told media earlier in Kampala.
The new routes expand the network to 16 destinations, 14 of them in
Africa, one in the Middle East and another to Mumbai, India.
“Launching these routes marks the successful conclusion of our 3-year
strategic plan, paving the way for the next phase of our 10-year rolling plan.
This strategic approach ensures that our expansion is not just a leap of faith
but a well-thought-out progression,” said chief executive Jenifer Bamuturaki.
Lusaka and Harare will be served four times a week in a carefully mapped
route operation that will see flights alternate between
Entebbe-Lusaka-Harare-Entebbe on two days.
Uganda Airlines Chief Commercial
Officer, Adedayo Olawuyi, said Abuja’s central location in Nigeria, will make
the service attractive to travellers from the country’s northern states, who
will now have shorter flights out of Nigeria. Three quarters of international
airlines flying to Nigeria prefer to land in the commercial capital, Lagos,
leaving a huge connectivity gap in Abuja.
Adedayo added that the new services will improve aircraft utilisation,
taking average daily flying time of the CRJ fleet to 9.6 hours and the Airbus
A330-800s to 8 hours.
What it means for
the traveler
These carefully mapped out routes are a game changer for
air travel in Africa. Uganda Airlines’ new service for instance will instantly
eliminate the hirtherto connectivity nightmare that travelers in Africa faced
by flying to Europe before connecting to their preferred destinations within
Africa .
Now, travelers
from Nigeria’s central, northern, and northeastern regions can have direct
flights offered by Uganda Airlines to
destinations such as Nairobi, Dar es
Salaam, Mombasa, Mogadishu, Mumbai, and Dubai . Uganda Airlines flights come at
a fair price and with significantly reduced travel lead time.
Editor:msserwanga@gmail.com