Date for commencement of Uganda Airlines commercial flights to be announced today

Officials from the Ministry of Works and Uganda Airlines will today, Monday announce the exact date the national carrier will start plying commercial flights.

Uganda National Airlines Company Limited was on Friday issued with an Air Operator Certificate by the Civil Aviation Authority that will expire on July 25, 2020.

In a message to various media houses, the Ministry of Works and Transport has invited journalists for a press conference at their headquarters along Port Bell road in Kampala.

“Uganda Airlines will be having a press conference at the Ministry of Works and Transport head offices,” reads in part the message.

The Nile Post has however learnt that at the presser, officials will announce the date on which the national carrier will commence commercial flights.

 Government recently announced it had postponed the Uganda Airlines maiden flight from July 31 to the end of August due to a delay in acquiring the Air Operator Certification (AOC), which allows any aircraft operator to fly commercially.

https://nilepost.co.ug/2019/05/07/uganda-airlines-will-be-serious-player-to-fly-to-nine-cities-in-africa-officials/

Works Minister, Eng. Monica Ntege Azuba last week said Uganda Airlines will carry staff and service providers on its maiden commercial flight to three regional destinations including Nairobi, Dar Es Salaam, and Mogadishu.

“These destinations shall be operated first to orient staff and service providers in the Uganda Airlines procedures and standards,” Azuba said.

The national carrier last week made test flights to Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam.

The national carrier collapsed 20 years ago but government three years ago kick-started the process of its revival but many have been skeptical about the viability of the project.

However, while speaking at a function two receive two Bombardier planes as part of the fleet to form the core of the revived national carrier, President Museveni said the Uganda Airlines will not be allowed to collapse again.

Uganda Airlines Commercial Director, Jennifer Bamuturaki said the national carrier will be a serious player in the airlines business.

“We are not coming into the market as underdogs but as serious players,” Bamuturaki said.

According to officials from Uganda Airlines, the national carrier will first ply nine regional routes including Nairobi, Juba, Bujumbura, Khartoum, Mogadishu, Dar Es Salaam, Kilimanjaro and later Johannesburg before more new routes will be introduced.

Asked why they chose to fly those destinations, Bamuturaki recently told journalists that they had carried out research before coming up with those flight destinations around the continent.

“We have done extensive research on the routes that the aircraft will be flying to.”

She explained that before coming up with the specific routes, they took a number of days carrying out research to find out the areas that most passengers from Entebbe fly to in Africa.

The airline’s Technical Advisor, Cornwell Muleya said the national carrier has come at the right time when the continent is integrating and citizens easily access various countries without many restrictions which he said is an added advantage.

“We have already entered bilateral agreements with 47 airlines which allows our national airline to fly directly to those destinations,” Muleya said.