Entebbe-Kigali Direct Flights By Uganda Airlines To Start Soon After JPC Agree To Boost Travel, And Connectivity
If the announcement by Uganda’s Foreign Minister is to go by, travelers from Uganda to Rwanda or vice versa will be able to enjoy flights with Uganda Airlines directly to explore the beauty of these two magnificent safari destinations that have a thing or two in common- gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking, birding tours, and big game safaris.
This decision comes after Uganda’s Minister of Internal Affairs Gen. Abubaker Jeje Odongo meeting with Rwandan Ministers on Friday 24th March 2023 during the 11th Session of the Uganda-Rwanda Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) that was held in Kigali, Rwanda. This three-day meeting was on the blueprints of boosting Trade, enhancing connectivity and strengthening people-to-people exchanges between the two amazing East African countries that neighbor each other.
If the announcement by Uganda’s Foreign Minister is to go by, travelers from Uganda to Rwanda
Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Minister also said the country (Uganda) is delighted by the decision of Rwandan Authorities to give a green flag to the National Carrier (Uganda Airlines) to start direct flights between Entebbe And Kigali. Already, Rwandair (Rwanda’s National Carrier) operates direct flights between Kigali and Entebbe International Airport.
Uganda Airlines’ direct flights between Entebbe and Kigali are the first since the revamp of the Carrier in 2019 and follows continuous discussions between the two countries. Since it was relaunched in 2019, Uganda’s flag Carrier has been operating to other regional destinations such as Mogadishu, Nairobi, Kilimanjaro, Mombasa, Kinshasa, Dar es Salaam, Bujumbura and recently Johannesburg not to its neighbor in the Southwest, mainly after hitting a diplomatic low (involving disagreements between Heads of States (Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda), which led to closure of Uganda-Rwanda border in 2021 by the latter. The move to launch direct flights between the two countries’ Airports by Uganda Airlines is a proof that relations between the two countries have now improved.
Uganda Airlines was first founded in 1977, but was eventually closed in 2001. This Flag Carrier whose Headquarters are within the Airport (about 34 kilometers by Road from the Capital) boasts a fleet size of 6 jets (4 Bombardier CRJ900 and 2 Airbus A330-800 jets). It was awarded its Air Operator Certificate on 27th July 2019 by Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) after a 5-month certification process then began operations on 28th August 2019 with flights Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (Nairobi) then subsequently to Kinshasa, Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam, Juba, Mogadishu, Mombasa, and Zanzibar in the following months.
The Airline is also considering flights to West and Southern Africa Airports, Dubai International Airport, Mumbai International Airports, Heathrow Airport and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport as a way of boosting Trade between Uganda and these countries as well as promoting the country’s rich and untapped Tourism Potential.