Uganda Airlines, the national carrier, is set to establish an aircraft hangar for the maintenance of its fleet, The Observer has learned.
Currently, Uganda Airlines operates a fleet consisting of two Airbus A330-800Ns and four Bombardier CRJ-900LRs. The Airbus aircraft are used for long-haul international routes, while the Bombardier aircraft serve regional and shorter routes.
Recently, Uganda Airlines introduced an Airbus A320-200 under a short-term wet lease agreement with Lithuanian-based DAT. However, maintenance costs currently account for 20% of the company’s budget.
Establishing a hangar will reduce the government’s expenditure on sending aircraft abroad for maintenance. According to sources, the airline will need at least $50 million (Shs 183 billion) to establish a fully equipped and up-to-standard aircraft hangar.
According to Adedayo Olawuyi, chief commercial officer of Uganda National Airlines Company Limited, the aircraft hangar is part of the airline’s 10-year strategic plan, set to launch later this year.
“We have been engaging with the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority. We are looking to acquire land from them to build our own hangar, enabling us to conduct in-house maintenance,” Olawuyi stated.
Last year, the airline received approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to become an Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO) and has since enrolled engineers to conduct maintenance up to line checks at Entebbe Airport. However, major maintenance checks are still conducted at approved AMOs abroad.
“We hope to develop the expertise and capabilities to conduct heavy maintenance checks in Entebbe in the future. This will help us save significant foreign exchange currently spent on outsourcing maintenance services,” Olawuyi said.
Uganda Airlines recently launched a direct flight to London Gatwick, its third international route outside Africa, following Mumbai and Dubai. The airline now flies to 17 destinations, including Abuja, Lusaka, Harare, Nairobi, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Bujumbura, Johannesburg, Dubai, Zanzibar, Lagos, Kinshasa, Mumbai, Mogadishu, Juba, and Kilimanjaro.
As part of its expansion strategy, Uganda Airlines also plans to establish its own hotel to cater to connecting passengers.
“There are instances where passengers have long layovers of up to 10 hours in Entebbe. Providing them with hotel accommodation enhances their experience and promotes tourism,” Olawuyi said.
Currently, the airline incurs substantial costs providing hotel accommodation for passengers and crew. Establishing its own hotel will significantly reduce these expenses. Several successful airlines, such as Ethiopian Airlines, own airport hotels, catering services, and maintenance facilities, allowing them to minimize operational costs.
Uganda Airlines aims to adopt a similar model to enhance profitability. According to its strategic plan, the company intends to acquire four mid-range aircraft, including the Airbus A320 and A321neo, as well as two Boeing Dreamliners.
Additionally, Uganda Airlines plans to acquire two cargo freighters: a narrow-body Boeing 737 and a wide-body Boeing 777 freighter. Before the end of the year, the airline plans to introduce new routes to Accra (Ghana), Jeddah and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), and Cape Town (South Africa).
By the end of the 10-year plan, Uganda Airlines aims to operate between 32 and 35 destinations.
“If we acquire the required aircraft, we plan to launch a route to Guangzhou, China. However, with our current fleet, once we start London operations, we won’t be able to add Guangzhou until we acquire a third wide-body aircraft,” Olawuyi said.
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Of course these were the open democratic international trade opportunities that were available during the 1967/1977 for independent countries of Uganda, Kenya and Tanganyika. Uganda because of its constant political state power greed did upset the whole ambitious programme of that former organization. Of course such state power greed is blamed on Uganda Presidents Obote 1 and Idi Amin! Kenya that stayed stable and as the headquarters of the East African common market right now in aviation has 1268 aircraft and counting. Uganda with about 10 aircraft needs to pull its socks up to improve its capacity in aviation, politics and respect of human rights in national and international affairs. Uganda is not going to fly its nice Christian planes into countries it despises their human rights of homosexuality and so on. You cannot any more do business around the world when you believe that you are the strongest and best policemen all over the world and the only Africans with inalienable rights on planet earth!
Kenya airways does not 1268 aircrafts. Not even Emirates, Qatar, Turkish, and British airways have these many aircrafts, with most having less than 500 aircrafts. Kenya airways has 35 aircrafts as we speak: 9 Boeing 787 (Dreamliners), 13 boeing 737 (I think 11 of these are 800S and two are 300SF models), and 13 embraer. According to Wikipedia, the airlines with the largest number of aircrafts is United airlines (1,015 aircrafts), followed by American Airlines (983 aircrafts) and Delta airlines (978 aircrafts). All these top three are in the United States of America.
Secondly, congratulations to Air Uganda. One step at a time, keep the focus, and you will get there.
You’re actually very wrong … b’ness is b’ness… Uganda Airlines is already flying to the U.K, and S.A, and Kenya and those countries have different opinions when it comes to rights from Uganda.
Secondly, your comment is full of lies … KQ has a fleet size of 35 aircrafts, not 1268 … bro use common sense and reasoning and take away personal feelings and bias
Bro which Google do u use to give u that wrong information mbu all that number of aircraft even emirates don’t operate that much but instead u r talking of Kenya and for your information not all travelers are gay as u mention in your statement that Uganda denies homosexual rights bro business is business.
Uganda airlines continue to progress in sha Allah 🙏🙏🙏our flag carrier
Uganda as land locked needs to co-operate more with the neighbouring African states that live with the seas when Uganda tries to compare its modern infrastructure development with Ethiopia which is also landlocked but a good long survivor in aviation! Let all Africans agree that public transport in aviation(air) goes hand in hand with public transport on land! Presently what is the land use for mass public transport in the country of Uganda?
I regularly read your posts Kabayekka, and they often make sense to me. Your two posts on this article are not making any sense to me; maybe it is a slow day for me today!!!
How much more fake does it get. A Ugandan flag carrier by name tarnished by a Rwandan junta, that sourced its startup Ugandan taxpayers money to buy aircraft, and holding a 98% ownership stake whilst the Ugandan taxpayer is scammed with 1% ownership.
More insult to injury is that the same junta can not even appoint a qualified Ugandan as CEO. The previous one was never qualified. But now they appoint a Nigerian CEO. Uganda shall be free one day.
Perhaps there are no qualified Ugandans because they can’t read and comprehend simple things?? Like you?? Where in this article does it mention that the CEO is Nigerian?
Besides, Nothing new with having expats holding senior positions in another country. Across in Kenya, the KQ COO is Egyptian – similar post in comparison to Uganda Airlines. Qatar, Emirates, Etihad have their management team all expats. What’s your point?
As for your “perceived Rwandan hatred” – maybe your indigenous type aren’t as enterprising or pretty too. I mean, Kyagulanyi went to Rwanda to pick Itungo Barbie. Kabaka took the same direction to pick Prince Junju’s late mother. There’s something special about them. Please check your own “indigenous” background. Something is clearly wrong
Mr indeginous for u go and check the president of emirates airlines and then u will know how business is operated and u will help your self to wash your brain and think fresh thanks 🙏
Uhuru you have a point indeed. The article makes it very clear that in aviation any aircraft that flies and probably lands in Uganda is the responsibility of Uganda to attend to as a national business. That is why it seems Uganda Airlines badly wants a hunger of its own. It is the responsibility of Civil Aviation to have AMO at Entebbe International Airport and not abroad. Sorry to say that Uganda (Entebbe International Airport) deals with only 10 aircraft a day or a week? Actually as the article says, owning an aircraft is very difficult and expensive indeed. USA deals with 45,000 aircraft with a passanger load of 2.9 million passengers every other day! God knows who owns which? For Kenya having to deal with 1268 aircraft a day or a month is still a very small commercial output with about 4 or 5 modern airports. But it is something big other than Uganda with only one major airport and dealing with 10 or 50 aircraft per day or per week or for a whole month whether they own 5 or 9 of some of those expensive aircraft. Uhuru thanks for your discussion.
Kabakayeka I think we need to do something similar to what happened in Rwanda to have some of you baganda seem to appreciate. No wonder you are now protesting against your own mayiga!!