The first Uganda Airlines trip to Lagos, Nigeria, will take off on October 19, 2023. Jenifer Bamuturaki, the CEO of the airline, emphasized the value of this route in addressing the connectivity gap between East and West Africa.
The first Uganda Airlines trip to Lagos, Nigeria, is scheduled for October 19, 2023.
“The operation to Lagos creates an air bridge to West Africa that breaks a cross-connectivity pattern that impedes swift interconnectivity in East Africa,” said Jenifer Bamuturaki, CEO of Uganda Airlines, on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.
The flight will depart on Monday, Thursday, and Sunday each week.
According to Bamuturaki, just 22% of air travel in Africa is adequately served, and air travel costs have increased throughout the continent.
Bamuturaki stated, “Regionally, the connectivity between the West and the East is still low; typically, we look as far as the Middle East to connect with West Africa. Uganda Airlines is here to answer this call of duty and hereby brings its commitment to start its service to Lagos, Nigeria, to the fore.”
Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Mogadishu, Bujumbura, and Juba are destinations served by Uganda Airlines flights.
On October 7, 2023, the national carrier is anticipated to start offering direct flights to India.
Without our service, getting from Entebbe to Lagos would take at least 10 hours and 15 minutes, according to Bamuturaki.
According to her, the service, which takes just 4 hours to reach Lagos, would meet a demand and serve as a catalyst to unleash the enormous potential of a market force of more than 220 million people for cooperation and business prospects between the two nations.
“From oil and gas, agriculture, investments, tourism, textiles, and now music, Uganda Airlines offers the air bridge to immense possibilities,” remarked the Uganda Airlines CEO.
Over 10,000 members of the Nigerian diaspora in Uganda will, for the first time, be able to go to see their loved ones thanks to this direct flight, according to Uganda’s works minister Gen. Katumba Wamala.
He continued by saying that the “Nigerian market is also very ripe for our exports, such as manufactured goods, fish, chili, cassava, wheat, fruits and vegetables; our traders should be ready to take on these opportunities.”
According to Katumba, the airline has intentions to grow to include Ghana’s Accra as well as Abuja in Nigeria.
“My Ministry, under its programme, the Integrated Transport Infrastructure and Services (ITIS), will support its initiatives to expand to more points in West Africa,” declared Katumba.
However, full-scale expansion, according to Katumba, necessitates that the airline invest in machinery suited for these routes, which his government is looking into.
“Entebbe Airport is being expanded, and it is now at 70%; we will have a new terminal that will provide a better experience for the passengers transiting through Entebbe,” stated Katumba.
The airline claims to have positioned a cutting-edge A330-800neo aircraft, which has 258 seats and 36 tons of cargo space, on this route.
“The equipment is specifically designed to offer a wonderful on-board experience. For its connectivity throughout Africa, it has also provided affordable rates, according to Bamuturaki.
