By Spy Uganda
Kampala: Few days after the Entebbe-based carrier receiving its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) following a special demonstration flight from Entebbe to Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in South Africa, it has now set its Airbus A330-800 on more regional services.
This comes at the time when the Airline is planning for the launch of flights to Dubai next month which was delayed by the COVID-19 restrictive measures that were put on Uganda.
READ ALSO: Uganda Airlines Tightens Belt On Fight Against COVID-19, Announces Fresh SOPs
According to our sources, the pair of long-range aircraft, which have in recent days been used on commercial services to Johannesburg and Nairobi, will return to Nairobi on September 3 and operate the service to Bujumbura the same day. It will then fly to Johannesburg on September 4, before operating on the Dar es Salaam route on September 5.
”Commencement of the services to Dubai will coincide with the opening of the Dubai Expo which also starts on October 1,” said the source.
With a three-cabin layout that only has 20 business class lie-flat seats, 28 premium economy seats, and 210 economy class seats, there should be plenty of legroom no matter where you are seated.
READ ALSO: D-Day! Uganda Airlines To Give Nairobi Travelers A Thrilling Taste Of Brand New A330-800s Tonight
Keeping the name of the country’s former airline that operated between 1976–2001, the new government-owned Uganda Airlines came into existence in 2019. Initially operating flights with just four Bombardier CRJ-900s to domestic and nearby international airports, the Ugandan government-commissioned Airbus for two A330-800s.
Besides being a bit of a vanity project for the Ugandan government, the two Airbuses A330-800 could be big moneymakers for the land-locked African nation if they have done their calculations right.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism accounted for 8% of Uganda’s Gross domestic product. Officials at the Airline hope that the new aircraft will help entice people to visit Uganda by offering non-stop flights to Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
