Uganda Airlines readies for A330neo operations

Uganda Airlines (UR, Entebbe/Kampala) is set to begin widebody operations after it managed to add its pair of A330-800s to its AOC’s operations specifications last week. In a press release, the state-owned airline said the move would allow it to open up flights to Dubai Int’l first followed by London, Mumbai Int’l, and Guangzhou. No official dates or timelines have yet been revealed.

5X-NIL (msn 1977) and 5X-CRN (msn 1979) arrived in central Africa in December 2020 and January 2021, respectively. However, due to delays in their type certification by the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA), both were grounded until August 12. Just before being certified, 5X-NIL carried out a demonstration flight to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo in South Africa.

The bungling of the A330neo’s induction into service is one of the key events Uganda Airlines’ upper management is being held accountable for by the government given the losses the airline has incurred since its launch.

Since its inception in August 2019, Uganda Airlines has been plying a fleet of four CRJ900s on flights to Burundi, Tanzania, South Africa, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, and Somalia. According to the Ministry of Transport update, an application to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for a TCO certificate has been submitted to enable the airline to fly to London. In addition, the airline has also been designated as the Ugandan carrier for flights to the UK capital and Dubai. An application for China (Guangzhou) is being worked on.