Suspended Uganda Airlines bosses to  face Works  disciplinary committee

The Ministry of Works and Transport says it is constituting a committee to start hearing the defence submissions of the suspended Uganda Airlines Board Members and staff.

Addressing journalists after receiving the Uganda Airlines Airbus A330-800neo Aircraft operator licence yesterday, State Minister for Transport Fred Byamukama said they stopped receiving the written defence submissions of the suspended board members and staff last Friday and was now the ministry technical team constituting a committee to listen to their submissions.

Mr Byamukama said whoever is found culpable will be processed further to face the law.

Asked whether the ministry is not defying the Attorney Generals directive to stop investigating the board members, he said none of the ministry’s top management including the senior minister, permanent secretary and junior ministers have received the Attorney General’s directive.

“I personally have not seen that communication. When communication comes in or goes out it should reach the real people [it is intended for, so that] we read, understand and analyse it. Whatever the process they are going through, is through consultations,” he said.

He added that if his ministry was not going through consultations, technocrats like the permanent secretary would sit down individually and resolve on a matter and issue a report 

“None of us is above the law. Whatever they do, is done following guidance from technical people from government,” Mr Byamukama said.

The acquisition of the Airbus A330-800neo aircraft air operator certificate fleet listing opens Uganda’s routes across the continents.

Mr Fred Bamwesigye, the acting director general civil aviation authority, said Uganda Airlines has met the international requirements needed to manage airbus since it is a new type of aircraft.

“It means we have the qualified pilots, maintenance engineers, facilities and teams for maintaining the aircraft, and a memorandum of understanding with countries which operate similar aircraft due to the extreme safety requirements for the aircraft,” he said.

Ms Jennifer Bamuturaki, the acting chief executive officer Uganda Airlines, said today they will start flying the two Airbuses to Bujumbura, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, and Juba to train the pilots, the cockpit crews and also for marketing purposes. 

She said they were planning to start operating Entebbe- Dubai route in October and the Entebbe-London route in November.