Qatar Airways schedules Entebbe flights as Gulf carriers cautiously restart operations

March 3, 2026 in Business, Companies, Trade & Industry, Travel & Tourism by Editor

Qatar Airways appears set to resume Entebbe flights on March 4, even as other Gulf carriers maintain cancellations amid escalating Middle East tensions that have disrupted regional air travel.

 

Qatar Airways has scheduled March 4 for the resumption of flights to Entebbe, signalling a tentative restart of air connectivity between Uganda and the Gulf as regional tensions continue to disrupt aviation flows.

Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 shows that while Qatar is preparing to restore services, several other Middle Eastern carriers are still reflecting cancellations for their Entebbe routes.

The disruption followed attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, triggering an ongoing conflict that prompted Gulf-based airlines to suspend operations across several destinations, including Uganda. Airspace closures and safety concerns forced a near-immediate halt to services linking Entebbe with key transit hubs in Doha and Dubai.

There were signs of operational reignition on Tuesday at Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest transit hubs.

Airport data showed around 10 departures and 17 inbound flights on Tuesday — a marked increase from Monday, when only five flights managed to depart, including four passenger services and a single cargo flight operated by DHL.

The uptick suggests airlines are cautiously restoring limited operations as they assess evolving security conditions in the region. However, the scale remains far below normal throughput, underscoring the fragility of the recovery.

Qatar’s planned restart from March 4, alongside incremental departures from Dubai, highlights broader efforts to unclog a regional aviation system that has left thousands of transit passengers stranded across Gulf hubs.

Uganda remains particularly exposed to instability in the Middle East due to its heavy reliance on Gulf carriers for long-haul connectivity.

Industry estimates indicate that Gulf-based airlines account for nearly a quarter of Middle East-bound passenger departures from Uganda. Among them, Qatar Airways leads with approximately 8pc of Middle East-bound traffic from Entebbe.

It is followed by flydubai at 6pc, Air Arabia at 5.3pc, and Emirates at 5.2pc.

The concentration of market share among Gulf carriers means disruptions ripple quickly through Uganda’s outbound travel, particularly for passengers connecting onward to Asia, Europe and North America via Doha and Dubai.

For exporters, especially those reliant on air freight capacity embedded in passenger aircraft belly space, the suspensions also pose logistical challenges.

The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority has yet to release a detailed impact assessment outlining the full implications of the Iran–US–Israel clashes on Uganda’s aviation sector.

Key concerns include passenger backlogs, rebooking costs, cargo delays and potential fare volatility if capacity constraints persist.

While Qatar Airways’ return may ease immediate pressure on one of Entebbe’s most significant long-haul corridors, broader normalisation will depend on airspace security guarantees and geopolitical de-escalation.