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Uganda Airlines will soon start direct flights between Entebbe and London, following recent meetings between the airline’s CEO and UK aviation authorities. The airline secured slots at London Heathrow Airport after acquiring two Airbus A330-800 Neo aircraft.

The Uganda High Commission in London has announced that Uganda Airlines will soon commence direct flights to London.

On Wednesday 20^th June, 2024, the Commission stated that the head of Uganda’s national carrier was in London less than a week ago and held meetings with UK aviation authorities. “A team from Uganda Airlines, led by CEO Ms. Jenifer Bamuturaki, was in the UK from 11th to 15th June 2024 for meetings with UK aviation authorities, the business community, and the Uganda Diaspora in preparation for the upcoming launch of direct flights between Entebbe and London,” the Uganda High Commission in London announced.

Uganda Airlines has secured slots for departures and landings at London Heathrow Airport following the acquisition of two Airbus A330-800 Neo aircraft in December 2020 and February 2021. However, the national carrier has not yet commenced flights to the UK.

Reports indicate that the delay in Uganda Airlines’ flights to the United Kingdom and the broader European region, governed by the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority and the European Aviation Safety Agency respectively, was due to the lack of an updated certification status. Aviation Development Chief Analyst James Pearson recently noted that over 84,000 passengers traveled on the Entebbe-London route on a two-way point-to-point basis in 2019, “making Entebbe the second largest unserved market from Africa to London.”

The decision by Uganda Airlines to begin direct flights to Europe follows the launch of direct flights to Asia and West Africa less than a year ago. On October 7, 2023, Uganda Airlines launched direct flights to Mumbai, India, operating three times a week. This route, first promised two years ago, is Uganda Airlines’ 12th destination and the second outside the African mainland. Following the Mumbai launch, Uganda Airlines also introduced direct flights to Lagos, Nigeria.

Currently, Uganda Airlines operates flights to Dubai, Johannesburg, Bujumbura, Nairobi, Mombasa, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Juba, Kinshasa, Mogadishu, Mumbai, and Lagos.