Uganda Airlines coming online

It is expected that Uganda Airlines will bring more traffic in and out of the airport. Although a very small fleet of two Bombardier CRJ aircraft at the moment, the CAA has high hopes for the national airline. One of the hopes is that transit traffic will increase with the growth of the carrier.

The airline recently completed its maiden flight to Nairobi on August 27th. With London being one of the most popular destinations from Entebbe, its possible we would see the airline’s future A330neo fly the route.

Potential challenges to growth

Luggya named several factors that put Ugandan aviation at risk. Firstly, he acknowledged that the growth of Ugandan aviation infrastructure is dependent on financing. At the moment, China is the largest source of funding. Funding for the first phase has been secured, but looking a few years into the future, there is a little more uncertainty.

Intermodal transport and the free flow of goods is another challenge that exists. Access to Entebbe is mainly by road. The CAA wishes to diversify transportation options as Entebbe is located on the shores of Lake Victoria - Africa’s largest lake. Building rail infrastructure would also ease the burden on Uganda’s highways. “We need a situation where the airport is linked by rail, water, and road,” Luggya says.

I had noticed stacks of UN-labelled containers, small white turboprops and a Royal Canadian Air Force CC-130 on the tarmac with a large UN decal on the side. I inquired about all of this United Nations equipment scattered across the area. Luggya responded by saying that in 2017 the airport handled 69,000 metric tonnes of cargo - the all-time high. This dropped to 62,000 the following year. This reduction occurred at the same time that there was a decrease in UN Operations which, he says, is a sign of just how much traffic the United Nations bring to Entebbe.

Collaboration over competition

When asked about competing with bigger airports like Nairobi or Addis Ababa, Luggya said that the CAA was aiming more for a spirit of cooperation. This, he says, is necessary because there must be mutual support in situations where emergencies occur at one airport and runways are shut down:

“We are looking more at collaboration. We have a lot in common as we continue to work together - we can benefit from each other.”

He recalls one past event where the Entebbe runway had to be shut down and flights were diverted to neighboring airports. Increased connectivity between Africa’s hubs will benefit all travelers with more choice. Entebbe hopes to capitalize on that and be an additional option.

The importance of Uganda CAA

Finally, Luggya spoke about the importance of his organization in the safety and security of air travel in Uganda. There was mention of progress made with the Ugandan Government in shaping laws and regulations around the CAA’s ability to randomly inspect air operators at its facilities. Prior to this, permission from the air operator had to be obtained.

Finally, Luggya was proud that the CAA was able to resist public pressure to rush the issuance of an Air Operators Certificate for Ugandan Airlines. In resisting this pressure, the CAA was able to ensure that the newly re-launched airline was in full compliance in terms of safety and security - even though some of the new aircraft had already been delivered. In April, the two CRJ-900s were delivered - but only saw their first flights at the end of August.

We wish to thank Mr. Vianney Luggya for taking the time to sit down with us and give us some insight into Uganda's civil aviation scene.