Kampala, Uganda | URN | Uganda Airlines has set August 28th as date for the company’s maiden commercial flight. The Operators announced this on Friday 2nd, August 2019 morning in Kampala.
The airline carrier obtained an air operating certificate in July after three months of tests by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The airline company purchased two air crafts, Bombardier CRJ 900 series on April 23rd this year in a bid to revive the National Carrier. The Air crafts have since been grounded at the VVIP Parking Apron of Entebbe International Airport awaiting clearance from the Aviation regulator to start commercial flights.
The air crafts will fly to Nairobi and Juba twice daily while Mogadishu, Somalia three times a day. The aircrafts are 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 USD 278, about UGX 1 million, Juba at $225, Mogadishu $590, all inclusive of the taxes. Also return tickets for Dar es Salam cost $ 286, Bujumbura $ 292, Mombasa $325 and Kilimanjaro $311.
The promotional costs for two months of the flights on Uganda Airlines are slightly lower than for other airlines. For instance, a flight to Nairobi costs $278 about one million shillings a price much lower than both Rwanda Air and Kenya Airways. It costs one up to $330 (about UGX 1,188,000) and $350 (About UGX 1,260,000) when flying with Rwanda Air and Kenya Airways respectively.
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Jennifer Bamuturaki Musiime, the Marketing and Public Relations Manager of the Airline company 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 it place all necessary requirements including booking offices,” added Musiime.
She said the lower costs of traveling to the different destinations will enable the company get enough clients. The aircrafts available carry up to 72 passengers each.
Justus Mwombeki, a travel consultant in Kampala says the emergence of lower costs of traveling by Uganda airlines will enable more travelers to use air transport than road transport while traveling within the East African region.