UGANDA – Uganda Airlines has secured slots for departures and landing at London Heathrow Airport and Dubai International Airport as it prepares for commencement of long haul flights to the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and China.

The move comes after the airline received its two Airbus A330-800Neo air crafts in December 2020 and early this year.

Roger Wamala, the Uganda Airlines Commercial Director said the two aircrafts, code named Mt Elgon and Mt. Rwenzori,  will however remain grounded because the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) has not yet cleared them to fly.

UCAA is expected to clear the planes at the end of April.

The Commercial Director added that for the London route, the airline has secured the slot for the summer season -March to October 2021.  

“With its fleet of 4 CRJ900 Bombardier and 2 Airbus A330 Neo air crafts, the airline  plans to fly to 20 destinations on the African continent  and  flights to London, Dubai, Mumbai, and Guangzhou”

“Even if UCAA clears the air crafts, we cannot fly to London because there is still a lockdown on non-essential travel to and from the UK,” he clarified.

“Those are the two hurdles, so we have the slots, but we cannot fly,” Wamala told Uganda Radio Network-URN.

Uganda Airlines is expected to operate  long and short haul flights to reduce air transport costs,  boost Uganda’s  tourism and exports among other objectives.

With its fleet of 4 CRJ900 Bombardier and 2 Airbus A330 Neo air crafts, the airline  plans to fly to 20 destinations on the African continent  and  flights to London, Dubai, Mumbai, and Guangzhou.

Uganda Airlines resumed operations in 2019, 18 years after its initial collapse in 2001 after operating for 25 years and the idea to revive it gained momentum in 2017.

The airline currently operates in six countries and nine destinations in the region including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kinshasa, Dar-es-salaam, and Mogadishu

It has so far carried over 78,000 passengers from August 2019 to March 2020 to the  nine destinations.

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