NMG, Uganda Airlines partner to boost aviation image

The Managing Director of Nation Media Group-Uganda (NMG-U), Ms Susan Nsibirwa, has revealed that a collaboration with the national carrier, Uganda Airlines, is set to promote the growth of the country’s aviation sector. 

“As NMG, our role is to inform the public and so what we want to do is to highlight and tell the stories about Uganda Airlines as an asset for Uganda. We want to support the aviation industry in Uganda,” she said.

Ms Nsibirwa made the remarks during a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Airlines, Ms Jenifer Bamuturaki, in Entebbe on Friday.

“I think people are forgetting that Uganda Airlines is a startup, I think the public perception wasn’t handled well, you have to be kind to startups for even five to 10 years because of the very nature of costs. From the last time Uganda had an airline, what was the impact of that closure on the ecosystem, and people training to be pilots, air hostesses, and pilots? I think that is a story that could have been told better…,” she said.

Positive image
Mr Sam Barata, the NMG General Manager of Commercial, said there is a need to get the public to understand the role of Uganda Airlines as a national asset.

“Our job is to get the public to understand that, identify better with the airline, and also look at it as a long-term investment,” he said.

Ms Bamuturaki said there is a need to push for strategic communication that will boost the airline eco-system.

“If the teams out there that are writing can understand the mandate of the airlines and how it affects us as country, then the writings and the narratives would be different. We also appreciate that we are a public company, mandated by Parliament and everybody out there on how we operate, but what I have been trying to push is for strategic communication,” she said.

The Uganda Airlines spokesperson, Ms Shakila Lamar, said there is a need for people to understand the value of the airline’s operations.

“Even when these losses are there, what is the social impact besides the losses, how are we impacting society? What about the jobs created, taxes collected, and the connectivity every time we fly,” she said.

Media sensitisation
Ms Bamuturaki revealed that there is need for special stories that attract positive attention in the aviation sector.

“We want people to understand that there’s a lot that can be done to interest people to invest and improve the economy of Uganda,” she said. Ms Bamuturaki said the airline is set to work with the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) to sensitise the media on reporting about the aviation sector.