Uganda Airlines to receive A330-800 December 7

October 20, 2020 in Business, Companies, Transport, Travel & Tourism by Editor

If nothing changes, Airbus will on December 7, deliver to Uganda Airlines the first A330-800, normally reliable sources have told 256BN.

Uganda Airlines last week released images of the aircraft registration F-WWYS 1977, as it rolled out of the paint shop.

It was not immediately clear if Uganda will send a delegation to receive the aircraft or receive the certificates of ownership electronically using the the virtual delivery option that the manufacturer introduced at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although they confirm a December delivery, Ugandan officials are yet to make public a specific date for the much-anticipated event. The aircraft will be commanded by a Ugandan crew that has been undergoing training at the manufacturers facilities in Toulouse, France. Airbus requires a minimum of 23 days of training for flight crew transitioning from non-Airbus aircraft while those transitioning from other airbus widebody type only undertake a 3 day differences course.

Uganda has completed payment for the aircraft whose arrival will mark the start of a new chapter in the comeback flag-carriers development and sends a firm message of intent to the competition. The A330-800 and its sister ship, another A338 that is scheduled for handover in January 2021, will give Uganda Airlines a limited role as a player in the Europe-Africa and Asia-Africa connector market.

The carrier that will soon be launching flights to points Southern Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo, also has set sights on routes to London, Dubai and China.