President Yoweri Museveni will be the chief guest as Uganda receives her first Airbus -A330-800neo of the two purchased from the aircraft manufacturer.
The event will take place at Entebbe Airport on Tuesday.
A team of 30 government officials including Ministry of Works officials, Civil Aviation Authority officials, Ministry of Finance, and pilots travelled to Toulouse in France to officially witness final touches on the plane for chattering to Uganda.
Earlier a technical team traveled to France to ensure they get abreast with all technical details and inspect the craft.
“I feel very proud that we are getting an asset, but also because the people in the cockpit are Ugandans. We are grooming more in Soroti which will be a backbone to the industry,” Minister of Works Gen Katumba Wamala who is in France said.
Uganda Airlines plans to use the A330-800 to build its medium- and long-haul network with the aircraft offering cutting-edge technology along with more efficient operations.
Launched in July 2014, the A330neo Family is the new generation A330, comprising two versions: The A330-800 and A330-900, sharing 99% commonality.
It builds on the proven economics, versatility, and reliability of the A330 Family while reducing fuel consumption by about 25% per seat versus previous generation competitors and increasing range by up to 1,500 nm compared to the majority of A330s in operation.
The A330neo is powered by Rolls-Royce’s latest-generation Trent 7000 engines and features a new wing with increased span and new A350 XWB-inspired Sharklets.
The cabin provides the comfort of the new Airspace amenities including state-of-the-art passenger in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi connectivity systems, amongst others.
Early this year, the Uganda Airlines CEO Cornwell Muleya revealed that the national carrier will receive its new airbus aircraft in December and start operations by early 2021.
