Uganda Airlines delays flight over glitch

Flight UR 202 heading to Nairobi had a one hour delay on October 25, 2019. On pushback, flight deck received an indicator flash in the cockpit signalling that the aircraft needed attention from engineers, according to the airline operator. COURTESY PHOTO

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The passengers had to ensure a one- hour delay to embark on the nearly 60 minute’s flight to the Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi

A Uganda Airlines plane headed for Nairobi from Entebbe was yesterday delayed for one hour after the aircraft developed a technical hitch.
The airline’s acting chief executive officer, Mr Cornwell Muleya, confirmed to Saturday Monitor that the crew detected the problem before aircraft No. UR 202 took off and made a decision to return to the terminal.

“The aircraft was still on the ground when there was an indication of a problem. We had 30 passengers on board but they have now reached their destination after we put them on another aircraft,” Mr Muleya said.
The passengers had to ensure a one- hour delay to embark on the nearly 60 minute’s flight to the Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. The scheduled takeoff time was 6am but because of the unexpected delay the alternative aircraft departed Entebbe at 7am.

“I saw people disembarking the Bombardier plane when I had just come for work. At first I thought it was arriving from somewhere but to my surprise after sometime they boarded another plane. We were told the problem was detected before pilots hit the runaway for takeoff,” said a worker at the airport.
Asked about the magnitude of the technical glitch that led to the grounding of the aircraft, Mr Muleya said the engineering team was called in and the problem was fixed within hours.

“The aircraft has been worked on and it’s ready to fly even now. We are happy for our competent engineers who are always ready to handle such issues that happen in the aviation industry. Ugandans need not to worry because this happens to every airline and the crews are trained to detect such,” he said.
By press time, we had learnt that the rescue aircraft had returned from Nairobi and was set to go on its own scheduled service of the day.

Background
Operations. The revamped Uganda Airlines which started operations in August and so far has a fleet of four Bombardier CRJ900 planes bought from Canada.
The airline that has ordered two airbus aircrafts to start long-haul flights in 2021 is already plying most routes in the East African region.
This publication has also learnt that the airline is set to commence the flights to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania on November 11 and the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa on November 2.