UGANDA AIRLINES TO COMMENCE DIRECT FLIGHTS TO UK AND NIGERIA

Uganda’s travelers especially the business community have a case to smile as Uganda Airlines commence direct flights to London and Nigeria after negotiations with the respective authorities are done. This will significantly enhance traveling at reduced cost.

This was revealed by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) Director General Fred K. Bamwesigye while giving an update to the public in a media engagement at Uganda Media center in Kampala on August 3, 2023.

Mr. Bamwesigye said that UCAA have already engaged and tendered in its application to both countries asking the respective governments to allow Uganda Airlines to start carrying out direct flights from Entebbe International Airport to London and Abuja.

“ We have already tendered in our applications to the relevant authorities of the two countries were we intend to commence flights directly from Entebbe Airport and although we have not yet received a response yet from United Kingdom, Nigeria has responded positively and the officials of its Civil Aviation are already in the country to carry out inspections to verify our capabilities.’’Bamwesigye said.

He further said that after the inspection exercise, they will take back the report to their bosses who when satisfied will issue a certificate to allow Ugandan Planes to fly directly to Abuja and business will start as soon as the certificate is issued.

The Director General also gave an update on the redevelopment of the Airport, were he said that the first phase of the project whose construction is being done by the UPDF Engineering Brigade, is almost complete. This phase includes the premises of the Cargo Center, Runways and lighting system improvement and Traffic Control Center and terminal expansion, a total cost of US $ 200m have been spent so far.

Bamwesigye also said that there has been remarked increase in the international passengers were in the period running from January to June 2023, Entebbe International Airport recorded a total of 842,429 passenger of which 413,223 were arrivals and 429,206 departures.

This traffic was even higher than that recorded in than that recorded before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the same period of January to June 2019 which totaled to 836,472 both combined arrivals and departures.

The director attributed the significant increase in traffic to the relaxation of Covid-19 travel restrictions across the global, tourism promotion initiatives, resuming of the national airline and attraction or more private air operators to Uganda airspace as well.

Meanwhile, Bamwesigye also said that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in September this year will send its officials to Uganda to carry out a Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme which will later be followed by the Universal Security Audit Programme (USAP). This is aimed at ascertaining the level of compliance of Uganda to the Safety and Security related standard as an ICAO member State.

The last safety audit by on Uganda was done in 2014 and the State according to the director of UCAA, scored above the then global average standard of 60% and for ICAO that occurred in 2017, the State scored 81.8% which was also still above the global average of 72%.