In December last year, Uganda Airlines took delivery of its brand new two A330neo Airbus which was received with a water salute as is the norm.
Having initially been scheduled to commence commercial flights to particular popular long haul destinations across the World such as; London Heathrow (LHR), Dubai (DXB), Guangzhou (CAN) and Mumbai (BOM) in addition to the already existing regional domestic flights operated within Africa such as; Nairobi, Kilimanjaro, Juba, Dar es Salaam, Kigali, Bujumbura, Mombasa, Mogadishu and the new added on route Kinshasha – DRC using the CRJ900 Bombardier series launched in August 2019.
According to Planespotter.net Uganda Airlines’ entire fleet was made up of just four Bombardier CRJ-900s with an average age of 1.6-years. Uganda Airlines’ plan is to operate the twin-engine regional jets on short-haul routes linking Kampala with other African capitals.
Uganda Airlines is targeting tourists
Before the A330neos were ordered from Airbus, the government-backed airline saw tourism as a big bankroller for the country. It already accounted for nearly 8% of the country’s GDP. While this was pre-COVID-19, Uganda Airlines still sees tourism as being the future of the airline.
Working in partnership with the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), the pair divided up Uganda’s tourism portfolio into four key segments:
- Existing overseas markets
- Emerging overseas markets
- Regional/African markets
- Domestic market
Historically the landlocked East African nation looked to Europe as a source of tourist revenue but started to promote “The Pearl of Africa” further afield, targeting emerging markets in the Middle East and Asia. With the long-range A330neo aircraft in its fleet, Uganda Airlines can offer tourists non-stop flights directly to Entebbe International Airport (EBB).
Even as airlines look to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic, experts predict that due to the economic consequences brought about by the coronavirus, tourists will carefully study all their options. The Uganda Tourist Board feels that the availability to fly non-stop to Uganda from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia will be a strong selling point. This, combined with the A330neos superior passenger comfort, should give Uganda an advantage over East African neighbors Kenya and Tanzania.
Why visit Uganda?
Having once been ruled by Great Britain, Uganda is not only English speaking but has all the beauty of Africa rolled into a country the size of the United Kingdom. Uganda is a colourful tapestry of landscapes that includes the source of the River Nile and a mountain range higher than the Alps.
Besides being one of the safest nations in Africa, blessed with locals keen to embrace tourists, Uganda has an abundance of wildlife that includes leopards, lions, buffalo, and elephants. The countries’ most iconic experience and why most western tourists visit is to trek mountain gorillas in their natural misty habitat.
Unable to survive in captivity, Uganda is home to half of the world’s 900 mountain gorillas and a much safer option than Rwanda or the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Technology behind Uganda Airlines A330neo
Built using technology developed for the Airbus A350, the A330neo is a highly fuel-efficient aircraft burning 25% less fuel than previous generation aircraft. The cabin of the A330neo is designed with passenger comfort in mind and comes fitted with the latest in-flight entertainment systems and connectivity.
As the second airline to take delivery of the Airbus A330-800 after Kuwait Airways, Uganda Airlines has configured its new aircraft with three classes of seating. These include 20 fully lay-flat seats in business class, 28 premium economy class seats, and 210 economy class seats in a 2-4-2 configuration for a total of 258 seats.
About Guide2Uganda
Guide2Uganda (www.guide2uganda.ug) is the most comprehensive source of information about Uganda that exists on the web, with more content on Uganda and surrounding towns, attractions, museums and galleries than any other online guide that currently exists for Uganda as well as being a dynamic news and comprehensive events driven site with content being added daily.
According to WeFollow & Peer Index (whom both measure online influence) we are among the most influential online media organizations in Uganda. We were also awarded for ‘’Best Destination Website in Uganda’’ by Jumia Travel Uganda in the 2017-2018 Africa Travel Awards.
If you have a travel story to share with the world, email: info@guide2uganda.ug
