Uganda Airlines projects modest recovery by December 2020

September 30, 2020 in Business, Companies, Travel & Tourism by Editor

Uganda Airlines will operate a mix of A330neo’s for the long haul network and shorter range Bombardier CRJ’s for the regional feeder network

Uganda Airlines sees a gradual recovery of the market with deployed capacity expected to have rebounded to 50pc of Pre-Covid-19 levels by December 2020.

The flag-carrier resumes scheduled operations on October 1, with a single flight to Nairobi and Mogadishu for the day. That represents only 25pc of capacity but it is expected to gradually pick up as more the eight destinations on its schedule come back online. Dar es Salaam and Juba will also resume in the coming days. The slow build up is partly related to restrictions by aviation authorities which have capped operations at a single flight daily per destination.

Roger Wamara, the Commercial Director at Uganda Airlines, says they will scale up operations gradually and expect to be back to 50pc by December.

“There is palpable excitement with tickets already being bought in our Kampala and Entebbe offices. We are also active online and in the Global Distribution Systems through our Agents,” Wamara said about respect of advance bookings prior to October 1.

Uganda Airlines has not offered any fare rebates because of the increased operational costs as a result of implementing Covid-19 safety measures.

“It is tough all round. We are facing additional costs but we also appreciate that the travel costs have gone up for our customers because of the requirement forCovid-19 tests,” Wamara added.

The advantage with pre-flight testing is that in negates the need for social distancing onboard and airlines will be able to pack as many passengers as they can into the cabin.

“For the moment internationally, there is no social distancing onboard because all passengers will have tested negative prior to departure,” Wamara explained.

Scheduled air services to Uganda resume on October 1, after a six months hiatus. Turkish Airlines will be the first airline to land in Entebbe at 3am with a service from Istanbul. The CAA has separated arrivals by two hours to avoid congestion in the arrival lounge. Departing passengers are now expected at the airport 4 hours ahead of their flights.