The Ministry of Works and transport has on Sunday August 25 confirmed that Uganda Airlines is set for the inaugural flight slated for Tuesday August 27 morning.
The ministry said the “plane will depart Entebbe International Airport at Entebbe for Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Kenya at 10am.”
Works and transport minister Eng Monica Azuba on Friday last week asked Civil Aviation Authority and China Communications and Construction Company (CCCC) to quickly finish works on the conception block that will house Uganda Airline offices.
The conception block is one of the structures constructed at the airport for departures and arrivals under the airport expansion project.
The minister together with Members of Parliament on the infrastructure committee were inspecting Entebbe airport, one of the ongoing government construction projects ahead of the sector review next month.
The government purchased two aircraft, Bombardier CRJ 900 series on April 23, 2019, in a bid to revive the national carrier – with more aircraft expected into the country to make up the six-aeroplane fleet.
The two planes however, have since been stationed at the VVIP parking apron of Entebbe international airport awaiting clearance from the aviation regulators in the region to start commercial flights.
The air operating certificate was obtained on July 27 after three months of tests by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA).
An airline cannot operate without the AOC.
Now it has been confirmed that the aircraft will fly to Nairobi and Juba twice daily and Mogadishu, Somalia three times a day. The aircraft is also expected to fly to Dar es Salam and Kilimanjaro once a day, Bujumbura and Mombasa three times a week.
A return journey to Nairobi has been set at $278 (about UHX 1.026 million), Juba at $225 (UGX831,150), Mogadishu $590 (UGX2.1 million), all-inclusive of the taxes.
A return ticket to Dar es Salam will cost $286 (UHX 1.05 million), Bujumbura $292 (UGX 1.073 million) Mombasa $325 (UhX 1.195 million) and Kilimanjaro $311 (UGX1.143 million).
The promotional prices for two months of the flights on Uganda Airlines are slightly lower than for other airlines. For instance, a flight to Nairobi at $278, is lower than both RwandAir and Kenya Airways, which cost up to $330 (about UGX 1.2 million) and $350 (UGX 1.287 million) when flying with RwandAir and Kenya Airways respectively.
Jennifer Bamuturaki Musiime, the marketing and public relations manager of Uganda Airlines says the airline has also set up booking offices at the airport and several other locations.
“By the time we decided on when the maiden commercial flight will be, we had already put in place all necessary requirements including booking offices,” added Musiime.
She said the lower costs of travelling to different destinations will enable the company to get enough clients.
The aircraft available carry up to 72 passengers each.
