Uganda Airlines secures Ethiopian Boeing 787 to restore long-haul services

March 6, 2026 in Companies, Travel & Tourism by Editor

Uganda Airlines is preparing to resume long-haul services to London, Mumbai and Dubai after securing a short-term wet lease of a Boeing 787 from Ethiopian Airlines to cover capacity lost to aircraft maintenance.

 

Uganda Airlines is preparing to restore its long-haul network after securing a short-term wet lease arrangement with Ethiopian Airlines for a Boeing 787-8 aircraft to cover capacity gaps created by maintenance checks on its wide-body fleet.

The Ugandan flag carrier announced on Thursday that the aircraft is expected to arrive in Entebbe shortly, ahead of deployment on services to London, Mumbai and Dubai.

Industry sources told 256BN that the wet-lease contract will run for approximately two months — a period during which the airline expects at least one of its Airbus A330-800 aircraft to return to service after completing mandatory maintenance checks.

The arrangement provides a temporary solution to operational disruptions that have affected the airline’s long-haul operations since late last year.

Uganda Airlines’ wide-body fleet has been intermittently grounded since December 2025, when one of its aircraft, registration 5X-CRN, became stranded in Lagos for several weeks.

Although the aircraft eventually returned to Entebbe in January 2026, it could not resume operations immediately because its engines had reached the end of their allowable operating cycle and required further maintenance before being cleared for flight.

The airline’s second Airbus A330-800, registration 5X-NIL, was also grounded in mid-February after a routine borescope inspection revealed cracks in turbine blades — a finding that necessitated additional technical checks before the aircraft could be safely returned to service.

The temporary deployment of a Boeing 787-8 from Ethiopian Airlines is expected to stabilise the network while those checks are completed.

The aircraft assigned to Uganda Airlines, registration ET-ASI, joined the Ethiopian fleet in May 2015 and was the 298th Boeing 787 built by the manufacturer.

Configured with 270 seats, the aircraft offers slightly higher capacity than the 258-seat Airbus A330-800s operated by Uganda Airlines.

However, the cabin layout differs in one key respect: the Ethiopian aircraft features a two-class configuration, lacking the premium economy cabin that Uganda Airlines introduced on its A330 fleet as part of its strategy to attract both business and leisure travellers on long-haul routes.

Despite the absence of premium economy seating, the additional seats may prove valuable in the current operating environment.

Demand patterns on several international routes have been shifting in recent weeks as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East disrupt travel flows through some of the region’s major aviation hubs.

Airlines across Africa have been closely monitoring these developments as passengers increasingly adjust travel plans in response to flight cancellations and airspace restrictions affecting parts of the Gulf region.

For Uganda Airlines, the additional capacity could help accommodate travellers rerouting through East Africa as an alternative to disrupted transit hubs.

The wet-lease arrangement also highlights the growing importance of regional cooperation among African carriers in maintaining operational resilience.

Wet leasing — where an airline provides aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance to another carrier — is commonly used to bridge short-term capacity gaps caused by maintenance events, seasonal demand fluctuations or unexpected operational disruptions.

For a relatively young airline such as Uganda Airlines, which operates a small long-haul fleet, such arrangements can be critical to maintaining schedule reliability and protecting strategic routes.

The London route in particular has become one of the airline’s most important intercontinental connections, linking Uganda directly with a major global aviation hub and a significant diaspora market.

Maintaining continuity on that route is seen as essential not only for passenger traffic but also for cargo operations, which have become an increasingly important revenue stream for the airline.

Flights to Dubai and Mumbai similarly serve both passenger and commercial trade links, connecting Uganda to key markets in the Middle East and South Asia.

The temporary leasing arrangement is expected to remain in place until at least one of Uganda Airlines’ Airbus A330-800 aircraft completes maintenance checks and returns to operational service.

Once the airline’s own aircraft are back in operation, the Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner will be returned to its original operator.

The lates move by Uganda Airlines, represents a pragmatic step to protect its long-haul network at a time when both technical challenges and geopolitical disruptions are testing the resilience of airlines across the region.