Let’s charter Uganda Airlines for all sport

In many circles, the public is still in awe of the return of Uganda Airlines to the skies.
The national carrier is back after an 18-year absence and it has relatively cheaper trips to regional destinations of Nairobi, Mombasa, Mogadishu, Juba, Dar-es-Salaam and recently Kilimanjaro.
The Uganda Airlines came in handy with a chartered flight for the Uganda Cranes’ away match to Burkina Faso as they began the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers last week.
Local football body Fufa paid for tickets to Uganda Airlines for a return flight and the bombardier eased the team’s tight schedule.
Consequently, with that logistical relief, the Cranes picked a vital point after a goalless draw in Ouagadougou five days ago.
Aviation is never an oatmeal on the African continent with a big number, honestly, yet to board a plane in their lives. But what if about Uganda Airlines came in handy for other sports!
Wouldn’t it be viable for Uganda’s government institutions to strike a deal and have a stand-by aircraft for different national teams?
Well, the country is not yet at a level to have a plane branded for say the Uganda Cranes specifically or Rugby Cranes, Pool Cranes, Cricket Cranes, name it. But would it make sense if these busy national teams kept using other airlines with relatively higher costs to participate in tournaments?
Or, Uganda Airlines can probably come in sync with bodies such as Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) and National Council of Sports (NCS) to partner when contingents prepare for big championships.
Case in point, UOC will have potential gold medallists Joshua Cheptegei, Halimah Nakaayi, Winnie Nanyondo and Ronald Musagala and more head to Tokyo for the Olympics in Japan next year.
What if Uganda Airlines chartered them there and brought back the medallists to receive the water canon next July?
Not only is it business but it is proper advert for the carrier to Asia and in the broader picture, this is the desired sports tourism from which a countrywide plan can also be mapped.
It is a case of killing as many birds with a flying stone in Uganda Airlines!

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