Uganda Airlines (UR) has kick-started the 41st week of the year by launching a new long-haul route between Uganda and India. The airline will fly non-stop between the two countries up to three times a week with its relatively new Airbus A330neo aircraft.
Inaugural flight to Mumbai
The flag carrier of the Republic of Uganda inaugurated its India operations on October 7, with a flight from Entebbe International Airport (EBB) to Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM).
The airline has two A330-800s in its fleet: 5X-CRN and 5X-NIL. The first flight (UR430) was operated with 5X-NIL. It departed EBB at 10:39 UTC and arrived at BOM around 17:19 UTC after a six-and-a-half-hour trip. The touchdown in India marked a significant milestone for Uganda Airlines, as Mumbai became its second intercontinental destination after Dubai.
UR430 was captained by Robert Wakhweya, a Chief Pilot at the national company. The return flight (UR431) departed BOM at 20:09 UTC and flew for about 6 hours and 24 minutes before arriving at EBB at 02:33 UTC. According to the airline’s booking website, flights will be operated three times per week with the following schedule:
Serving the Indian market
Although Uganda Airlines is the only airline operating scheduled flights on the EBB-BOM route, it becomes the fourth major East African carrier to serve Mumbai after Air Tanzania, Kenya Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines, which all operate the Boeing 787 Dreamliner from their respective hubs.
While Uganda celebrates 61 years of independence, the national carrier’s inaugural flight was welcomed by various stakeholders from the airline, as well as the Indian and Ugandan governments. Uganda Airlines Board Chairperson Priscilla Mirembe said to UBC;
“We have waited for this day for a long time, and we feel it is going to be very important for the economies of Uganda and India. There is a lot we can bring in terms of our resources and goods to India. As an airline, this is a big achievement because one of our aims is to connect Uganda to different parts of the world, especially as a landlocked country.”
Upon arrival, the stakeholders attended the India-Uganda Trade Summit in Mumbai to assess the opportunities for enhanced economic and social cooperation. During the summit, Uganda’s Minister of Works and Transport General Katumba Wamala called for the revision of India’s Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) with Uganda to allow Uganda Airlines to fly to other cities within the South Asia country.
The state-owned airline is seeking to expand its presence in India by launching two more destinations: Delhi (DEL) and Chennai (MAA). While discussions between the relevant authorities take place, the airline’s country manager expects the services to commence within the next three months, according to Moneycontrol. With over 45,000 Indians in Uganda and thousands more Ugandans traveling to India for business, tourism, school, and health care, the South Asian country is a massive market for the airline.
Adding another destination in October
The next destination on UR’s list is Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS). Flights between Entebbe and Lagos will start on October 19, operating three times a week on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays with the A330-800. It will be the only carrier operating flights on this route.
Despite having two three-year-old widebodies, Uganda Airlines only serves two long-haul destinations. Apart from Dubai and Mumbai, the A330neos are also flown to Bujumbura (BJM), Johannesburg (JNB), Juba (JUB), and Nairobi (NBO). Other destinations are served with four CRJ900LRs.
Source: Simple flying
