Last year on October 9th, Uganda Airlines launched flights to Dubai International Airport. This came with much joy and anticipation of better trade, a boost in vestment, more tourism opportunities among other pros. However, this hope shines dim with the recent pandemic-induced UAE travel restrictions.
Passengers from seventeen African countries, including Uganda, have been barred from entering or transiting through the UAE economic hub of Dubai since December 28th as part of official policies to try and counter check the spread of Omicron Covid variant.
This ban follows previous restrictions that were in place last summer. With these stringent regulations in place, passengers have been left stranded with attempts to get to Dubai or other destinations through Dubai.
Uganda Airlines has seen load factors match that of popular short-haul routes to the likes of Johannesburg, South Africa, and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania when the Dubai flights are on. These figures were providing strong returns for the flag carrier of Uganda.
“On the first commercial flight, we had 80 passengers on our 258-passenger Airbus to Dubai. On the second flight, we had 220 passengers. Definitely, business was affected by the ban. We were making $60,000 to $70,000 per flight before the ban.” – Uganda Airlines CEO Jennifer Bamuturaki, during a presser.
Uganda Airlines deploys its Airbus A330-800neo to the Middle Eastern global hub. The schedule was three times a week, but the plan was to boost the frequency to five times following passenger demand.
Nonetheless, the operator is valuing the continuance of trade between its country and the UAE. Cargo remains crucial for the airline, allowing it to record notable income despite the travel ban. Bamuturaki highlights that cargo loads are now greater without passengers, averaging an income of between $50,000 and $60,000 per flight.
About Guide2Uganda
Guide2Uganda (www.guide2uganda.ug) is the most comprehensive source of travel information about Uganda that exists on the web, with more content on its cities & towns, accommodation, attractions, events, museums and galleries than any other online guide that currently exists for Uganda; as well as being a dynamic travel news and events driven site with fresh content added daily.
According to WeFollow & Peer Index (that measure online influence), we are among the most influential online media organizations in Uganda. Guide2Uganda was also awarded ‘’Best Destination Website in Uganda’’ by Jumia Travel Uganda in the 2018 Africa Travel Awards.
Share your travel stories & photos with the world via email: info@guide2uganda.ug
