In bid to sheer in profitability and in preparation to commence mid range travel, Uganda’s national carrier Uganda Airlines is narrowing in to adding a fleet of six new aircraft, a move that has seen top world aircraft manufacturers pitching in to take on the supply deal.
Three of the world’s top aircraft manufacturers (Airbus, Boeing and Embraer) have been in the capital Kampala attending meetings and are said to have submitted their bids to the authorities last week to have them as the suppliers for the intended new fleet.
Uganda Airlines is currently using Airbus’ A330-800neo which has a capacity of 257 seats and the 76-seat Mitsubishi CRJ-900.
However, the Uganda national carrier is said to favour planes that have a capacity of 100-plus seats due to the ever-changing passenger numbers on different routes. The intended new six plane fleet will be bought in two instalments of three each.
In their meeting with Ugandan officials, Airbus is said to have offered its A321-LR and A321-XLR aircraft, which have capacities of between 180 and 220.
On the other hand, Boeing is said to have offered its B737 Max family. For instance, the Max-7 has a maximum seating capacity of 172 passengers and can travel in a range of 3,850 nautical miles. The Max-8 has a capacity of 220 passengers and can travel in a range of 3,550 nautical miles.
While the immediate need is for two aircraft, the potential commitment is for six units, including another two mid-range passenger aircraft and two freighters. One of the freighters will be in the 30-ton payload weight class while another should be capable of lifting 60 tons of cargo over extended distances. The last pair of passenger aircraft are expected to follow three to four years after the first delivery.
The airline wants a mid-range that will serve the fairly dense flights to West Africa but also have the capacity and range to substitute the A330-800 on routes to Europe and the Middle East. The lack of an aircraft between the 76-seat Mitsubishi CRJ-900 and the 257-seat A330-800, saw the carrier book huge losses in the initial operations of the service to Dubai. A similar scenario is expected when the service to Accra via Lagos is launched later this year. The mid-range is also expected to take over the Mumbai sector, which will initially be operated with the service to Guangzhou.
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