The national carrier, Uganda Airlines has announced three additional routes that it will be operating in its aviation business starting September 2024.
The three additional routes are Abuja, Lusaka and Harare.
While launching the routes on July 17 in Kampala, Uganda Airlines Chief executive Officer Jenifer Bamuturaki said “the expansion is a well-thought-out progression.”
“The Airline is excited to announce yet another milestone; the triple launch of the three routes this summer,” Bamuturaki noted.
She added: “Launching these routes marks the successful conclusion of our 3-year strategic plan, paving way for the next phase of our 10-year rolling plan. This strategic approach ensures that our expansion is not just a leap of faith but a well-thought-out progression.”
The three new routes are in addition to the existing ones such as Nairobi, Mombasa, Dar es Salam, Bujumbura, Johannesburg, Dubai, Zanzibar, Lagos, Kinshasa, Mumbai, Mogadishu, Juba, and Kilimanjaro.
Why Abuja, Lusaka and Harare
Bamuturaki explained that the entry into these markets is meant to build an efficient and optimized regional market that will feed and finance a more profitable long-haul market; grow the aircraft fleet utilisation, create a robust regional network that will serve as a feeder for the UR’s long-haul market, especially London to tap into the top unserved market and most importantly support Uganda Airline’s Africa network connectivity.
“We aspire to bridge the geographical gaps and connect the East to the West, North and South of Africa. This vision guides our route expansion, which is carefully guided by feasibility studies pointing us to underserved routes,” she said.
“The airline has stayed true to its rival’s connectivity objectives, and this is demonstrated by the recent increase in the frequency of our flights—we now operate 19 flights a day contributing to 20% traffic at Entebbe Airport—our enhanced revenue growth, cargo operations acceleration, and service scale. The network expansion is positioning the airline for profitability in the long run,” she added.
Speaking at the same launch, Uganda Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Adedayo Olawuyi said the ne routes are aimed at creating strong regional connectivity and tapping into the under-served aviation market.
The launch of the additional three routes comes at a time when the national carrier is celebrating its fifth year after its return to operation.
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