Uganda Airlines officials, led by Chief Executive Ms. Bamuturaki, returned to the parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities & State Enterprises (COSASE) for further scrutiny over the 2023/24 Auditor General’s Report.
The meeting follows last week’s interface, which sparked intense media attention.
Reports had suggested that the airline had grounded its CRJ-900 aircraft because they were “junk,” raising concerns over lack of manufacturer support for spare parts.
Ms Bamuturaki clarified that the perception was a misunderstanding of standard airline operations.
She explained that the airline recorded a Shs237.855 billion loss in 2024, down from Shs324.9 billion in 2023, attributing the bulk of the losses to high fuel costs, aircraft depreciation, and crew allowances.
“The largest contributor to our losses is fuel, followed by depreciation and crew allowances,” she said, emphasizing that other costs are categorized as direct and indirect expenses.
Uganda Airlines operates four Bombardier CRJ-900 narrow-body jets and two Airbus A330-800neo wide-body planes.
The CRJ-900 fleet has faced grounding issues due to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries halting spare parts production, leaving airlines reliant on scarce and expensive spares.
Despite these challenges, the airline’s financial performance in 2024 marks its best since resuming commercial operations in August 2019, highlighting improved cost management and operational efficiencies.