Slow start for Uganda Airlines, officials upbeat about prospects

The Uganda Airlines yesterday commenced commercial flights to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi and Juba International Airport with low passenger turnout, which the company officials said “happens usually.”

The Nairobi flight, which left Entebbe airport Wednesday morning had eight passengers on board, and around the same number on the Juba flight.

The Uganda Airlines director for marketing and communications, Jennifer Bamuturaki declined to provide exact passenger numbers and said “ what matters for us is we flew as we promised Ugandans.”

“We delivered on that promise, and we’ll continue flying twice to Nairobi and Dar es Salaam,” Ms Bamuturaki told Daily Monitor by telephone.
“This was our first commercial flight, and it meant a lot,” she added.

Inaugural flight
The commencement of commercial flights followed Tuesday’s inaugural flight to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where it is expected to fly two times a day; mornings and evenings, but the frequency will increase with time, the officials said.

The national carrier is expected in the first weeks to fly to three destinations of Nairobi, Juba, and Dar-es Salaam out of the seven proposed regional routes. Others include Mombasa, Kigali, Bujumbura, and Mogadishu.

Speaking at the launch of the inaugural flight at Entebbe airport on Tuesday, Works and Transport minister Monica Azuba said it has taken the country 20 years to get this point “since the first generation Uganda Airlines stopped flying “which has come at a great cost and disadvantage to the economy.

“The people of Uganda are proud to be associated with the progress that this airline has made, and I am certain that our customers worldwide are also eagerly waiting to experience the services of the new Uganda Airlines,” Ms Azuba added.

The Uganda Airlines company has also charted provisional air ticket prices, lower than the market price, which officials described as an “incentive” and will be readjusted after two months.

A return flight to Nairobi costs $278 (Shs1,010,920) and a one way ticket $257 (934,552): Mogadishu, return $590 (Shs2.1m) and a one way ticket $448 (Shs1.6m): Dar-es Salaam, return ticket $286 (Shs1,040,010), and $289 (Shs1,050,920): Bujumbura, $292 (Shs1,061,830) for a return ticket and $255 (Shs927,280) for a one way ticket: and Kilmanjaro, return ticket $311 (Shs1.1m) and $290 (Shs1,054,550) for a return ticket.

The revived Uganda Airlines will fly two phases; phase one being the consolidation of the regional market, particularly focusing on East, Southern, Central, and of North Africa, while phase two is the long-haul flights.

Regional markets
The regional market includes 18 destinations to Nairobi, Kigali, Bujumbura, Goma, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Goma, Dar-es-Salaam, Mombasa, Kilmanjaro, Juba, Khartoum, Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, Lusaka, Harare, and Zanzibar.

Uganda Airlines will be flying the Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft, with seating capacity of 76 passengers to the regional destinations. The first two CRJs were delivered in April, and the remaining two are expected to be delivered next month.

Phase two, for the long-haul flights, will commence between December 2020 and January 2021 when the two Airbus A330-800neos ordered from the French aeronautics manufacturer, Airbus, are expected to be delivered next year.

The government started plans to revive the national carrier two years ago on the premise that the economy was losing about 2 trillion shillings or 540 million US-dollars annually in form of higher transport costs, including extra-charges, to passenger originating and terminating at Entebbe airport.

The presumption therefore is that, once both regional and international markets have been established, Uganda Airlines would create a direct net present value economic benefit of about Shs2.8 trillion or $580 million after taking care of all the investment and operating costs, in a period of 15 years.

Titbits of Uganda Airlines inaugural flight

There was a thunderous applause and a tinge of anxiety as the plane powered its way into the skies. In the cockpit was experienced pilot Michael Etyang and flight captain Lukman Ndusa and a cabin crew of three.

The passengers on board, about 70, included Transport minister Monica Azuba, head of Public Service John Mitala, Uganda Airlines National Company Ltd executives, Members of Parliament, bureaucrats and journalists.
In the sky, after the flight captain had announced that everything was under control; a feeling of ease swept through as the passengers chatted away on a historic voyage.

They were the pioneer club on a maiden flight of the revived Uganda Airlines, after a 20-year wait. Lunch was a snack of chicken sandwich washed down with glasses of juices and water.
In the plane, blue neon lights cast a soft glow over the 29 rows of sleek leather seats.
The flight crew smiled constantly, and it was unclear if it was professional courtesy or actual excitement, powered by the opportunity for each member to work for the national carrier.

The delay
The flight had delayed by nearly an hour, triggering an avalanche of criticism and speculation on social media by netizens who followed the events live on television.
At 1.05pm, exactly 50 minutes after departure from Entebbe International Airport, the Uganda Airlines flight UR202 touched down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Aiport (JKIA).

The plane was greeted by a water canon salute, to mark its maiden trip to JKIA in Nairobi.
Officials from Kenya Ports Authority, JKIA and Uganda’s High Commission in Nairobi, as well as other senior Kenyan government officials, were on hand to witness history unfold and receive the guests.

Speaking at a joint press conference at the JKIA Sheraton Hotel, the Kenya Cabinet Secretary for East African Community & Regional Development, Mr Adan Mohamed, described the entry of Uganda Airlines to the market as a “milestone” for Uganda and regional neighbours.
“What makes this additional entry [of an airline] different is [that] this is an airline from the region; it is part of us, so the consumer choices have grown,” he added.

Competition
Currently, there are three main regional competitors; Kenya Airways, which enjoys the highest number of flights to Entebbe International Airport, RwandAir, and Ethiopian Airlines.
The Uganda National Airlines chief executive, Mr Ephraim Bagenda, said they are alive to the competition in the aviation industry, “but there are several competitive advantages we are looking to exploit.”

He cited growing passenger and aircraft traffic to or through Entebbe International Airport, which the re-named aviation regulator, Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA), said has grown by 10.2 per cent between 2017 and 2018.

It is estimated that 60 per cent, or roughly one million, of the total passenger traffic through Entebbe International Airport are Ugandans.
Based on this statistics, and the hope that Ugandans will turn to travel by the domestic carrier, Uganda Airlines hopes to rake in $486m (Shs1.8t) at an average air ticket price of $450 (Shs1.6m).

After about three and a half hours in Nairobi, it was time to for Uganda Airlines plane’s home stretch. Kenyan officials and Ugandan counterparts helped passengers with Immigration clearance, without the usual hassle.
Uganda Airlines official call sign is UR and this Tuesday return flight was UR203. Being an evening, the drinks ranged from juices to wines to Uganda Waragi. The return flight touched down at Entebbe at 8.30pm.

Inside the plane

In the plane, blue neon lights cast a soft glow over the 29 rows of sleek leather seats. The flight crew smiled constantly, and it was unclear if it was professional courtesy or actual excitement, powered by the opportunity for each member to work for the national carrier.

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