Eight local airline operators defend Air Service License applications

Air Services Licensing Committee members of UCAA listen to one of the operators seeking renewal of the operation license on Friday at Sheraton Hotel in Kampala. Photo | Eve Muganga

What you need to know:

  • Mr Vianney Luggya, the Public Affairs Manager at UCAA, said the public hearing was in line with the statutory requirements and that the board will give them feedback in relation to their applications later.

The Board of Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) has heard presentations from eight local airline operators, four of which applied for renewal while four others are seeking new air service licenses (ASLs) for scheduled and non-scheduled air operations.The airlines defended their ASL applications before the UCAA board licensing committee and members of the public at a public hearing held at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala on Friday, May 20, 2022.“We had the opportunity to have eight applicants (four renewal and four new applicants) of the licenses. UCAA), under Section 6 (2) of the CAA Act Cap. 354 is responsible for the licensing of air transport services.  In addition, the Authority advises the government of the Republic of Uganda on matters related to the development of air services such as Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASAs) and other air transport activities,” said Justice Steven Kavuma, the chairman UCAA Board of Directors.Mr Vianney Luggya, the Public Affairs Manager at UCAA, said the public hearing was in line with the statutory requirements and that the board will give them feedback in relation to their applications later.“To have more applicants seeking to commence air operations in Uganda’s air space is good news for the aviation industry. We currently have a total of 24 domestic scheduled and non-scheduled air operators conducting flights within Uganda and within the region and we also have 17 international air operators,” he said.The applicants mainly applied for scheduled and non-scheduled domestic operations as well as international and cargo operations. One of the applicants, DOTT Services, a renowned infrastructure firm, applied for private international operations.“Whenever we have new air operators joining Uganda’s airspace, it means that we get more passenger and cargo traffic, which is good for the industry,” Mr Luggya said.Eng Ronny Barongo, the Director of Safety, Security, and Economic Regulation at UCAA said that this has been done to ensure that all operators in the aviation industry are properly certified in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards and recommended practices to enable them to continue operating smoothly.The four applicants seeking for renewal of air service licenses are; Entebbe Airways, Uganda Air Cargo, KAFTC trading as BAR Aviation, and Samaritan’s Purse International. The first-time applicants are; Safari Air International Ltd, Panafric Aviation Ltd, DOTT Services Ltd, and Aberdair Aviation Uganda Ltd.