Uganda Airlines Restores A330 to Service as Long-Haul Fleet Recovery Gains Momentum

July 17, 2026 in Companies, Travel & Tourism by Editor

5X-NIL as seen on flight tracking site FlightRadar24 enroute to Entebbe on July 17

Uganda Airlines is returning one of its grounded Airbus A330-800neo aircraft to service after an engine replacement in France, strengthening operations on its London and Mumbai routes while preparations begin for similar maintenance on a sister aircraft.

 

Uganda Airlines is set to restore one of its two grounded Airbus A330-800neo aircraft to service this week, providing a significant boost to the national carrier’s long-haul operations as it works to stabilise its fleet.

Sources familiar with the airline’s maintenance programme told 256 Business News that aircraft 5X-NIL is returning to Entebbe after undergoing an engine replacement in France, ending a grounding that had kept the wide-body jet out of service since February.

The aircraft departed Entebbe for maintenance facilities at Paris Orly Airport on July 14, where one of its Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines was replaced. Following the completion of the work, the aircraft is now ferrying back to Uganda and is expected to arrive at Entebbe International Airport at about 7:44 a.m. local time before being deployed on the airline’s Mumbai service later in the day.

The return of 5X-NIL marks a significant milestone in Uganda Airlines’ efforts to restore its long-haul fleet after months of operational constraints linked to engine availability.

Until late April, both of the airline’s Airbus A330-800neos had been grounded. The situation eased after aircraft 5X-CRN was returned to service following the transfer of one of the serviceable engines from sister ship 5X-NIL, whose engine had reached its operating limit and required replacement.

However, the relief proved short-lived. 5X-CRN was itself withdrawn from service in June for scheduled maintenance, leaving the airline once again without an operational A330 and prompting it to wet-lease Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner ET-AOU to protect its long-haul schedule.

The aircraft will effectively take over from the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner, registration ET-AOU, which has been operating selected Uganda Airlines services under a wet-lease arrangement.

The leased aircraft operated the airline’s London service on Friday and, after arriving back in Entebbe on Saturday morning, is expected to undertake a charter flight to Bangui in the Central African Republic before repositioning for its ferry flight back to Addis Ababa.

According to sources, the returning A330 will assume operations on both the Mumbai and London routes, restoring Uganda Airlines’ own wide-body capacity on the two strategically important international services.

The development comes as the airline prepares the second aircraft affected by engine-related maintenance, 5X-CRN, for a similar visit to Paris for an engine replacement programme.

Industry observers say the phased maintenance approach is intended to ensure that at least one Airbus A330 remains available for scheduled operations while the second aircraft undergoes repairs, reducing disruption to passengers and protecting the airline’s growing international network.

Sources added that although ET-AOU is expected to return to Ethiopia, the aircraft will remain available on call until the end of December should Uganda Airlines require additional cover during the ongoing fleet recovery programme.

With 5X-NIL returning to service, Uganda Airlines expects to resume operating both its London Gatwick and Mumbai routes using its own aircraft. Attention will then shift to 5X-CRN, which is expected to travel to Paris in the coming weeks for an engine replacement, completing what sources describe as a phased fleet recovery programme designed to minimise disruption while restoring the airline’s two-aircraft long-haul operation