Airbus Updates No.3519

 

Uganda Airlines readies for A330neo operations

Uganda Airlines Airbus A330-800© Airbus / H. Gousse / master films

23.08.2021 - 08:30 UTC

Uganda Airlines (UR, Entebbe/Kampala) is set to begin widebody operations after it managed to add its pair of A330-800s to its AOC's operations specifications last week. In a press release, the state-owned airline said the move would allow it to open up flights to Dubai Int'l first followed by London, Mumbai Int'l, and Guangzhou. No official dates or timelines have yet been revealed.

5X-NIL (msn 1977) and 5X-CRN (msn 1979) arrived in central Africa in December 2020 and January 2021, respectively. However, due to delays in their type certification by the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA), both were grounded until August 12. Just before being certified, 5X-NIL carried out a demonstration flight to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo in South Africa.

The bungling of the A330neo's induction into service is one of the key events Uganda Airlines' upper management is being held accountable for by the government given the losses the airline has incurred since its launch.

Since its inception in August 2019, Uganda Airlines has been plying a fleet of four CRJ900s on flights to Burundi, Tanzania, South Africa, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, and Somalia. According to the Ministry of Transport update, an application to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for a TCO certificate has been submitted to enable the airline to fly to London. In addition, the airline has also been designated as the Ugandan carrier for flights to the UK capital and Dubai. An application for China (Guangzhou) is being worked on.

Airbus Updates No.3076

 Uganda Airlines Secures Morning Landing Slot At London Heathrow

Uganda Airlines has secured an early morning landing slot at London Heathrow Airport. The flight from Entebbe will land in Heathrow at 06:00 AM, a prime time for business travelers and considered one of the most coveted slots at the airport. Uganda will fly its brand new Airbus A330neo on the route.

Uganda Airlines will fly the rare A330-800neo on its new, prized Heathrow slot. Photo: Airbus

New slot

According to Daily Monitor, Uganda Airlines has secured a new slot at London Heathrow, flying five times a week from Entebbe. The slot comes into effect from the start of the summer season on March 28th, but the airline is yet to receive certification for its new Airbus A330-800neo.

Notably, Uganda Airlines has secured a prime slot at Heathrow: an early morning arrival. The popularity of early morning slots cannot be overstated, with Oman Air buying a 05:30 AM arrival slot for a record $75 million in 2016.

Uganda has managed to secure a 06:00 AM arrival into Heathrow (leaving at 09:00 AM) without purchasing the slot from another airline, according to Business Daily. This is a remarkable feat given how young the airline is (less than two years old) and considering it only received its first widebody a few months ago. Moreover, it highlights how sharply demand for slots has fallen at Heathrow.

Early morning slots at slot-restricted airports like Heathrow are coveted by airlines since they cater perfectly to business travelers. Photo: Heathrow Airport

Once Uganda’s shiny new A330neos are certified by its regulators and the UK lifts its ban on non-essential travel, the airline will begin flights to London. According to a spokesperson for the airline, it plans to start flight at some time in May, saying,

“The aircraft are not yet certified by the regulator but we are hoping to have completed that process by the end of April. If the UK relaxes travel restrictions, we should be ready to launch London sometime in May.”

Opportunity

For Uganda Airlines, the A330neo is a chance to expand beyond Africa and become a major international airline. In addition to London, the carrier plans to launch flights to Dubai and has secured rights for six weekly flights. While demand will dictate the final schedule for the short term, the airline has its eye on more locations.

The next destinations for the airline will be Mumbai, India, and Guangzhou, China, another popular hub route. This has been an ambitious rise for the airline which is yet to turn even two years old. It currently operates nine regional routes using CRJ900ERs and will add two routes Johannesburg and Lusaka soon.

With the first flights planned for May, keep an eye out for this rising African carrier in the skies. Currently, the airline only has two A330neos on order but it could add more widebodies in the future if it sees a growing demand. Considering the untapped potential of African aviation, we could see this airline expand quickly.

Airbus Updates No.2876

 

Uganda Airlines’ Rare Airbus A330-800neo Comes Out Of Paintshop

On Friday, we got a glimpse of Uganda Airlines’ A330-800neos complete with livery. The airline says the aircraft is on schedule for delivery in December. Meanwhile, the country has just reopened for international flights, and its national carrier hopes to be flying to Johannesburg within the next few weeks.

Uganda Airlines’ A330-800 has received its livery and is on schedule for delivery in December. Photo: Airbus

Rare but beautiful

One of Uganda Airlines’ two A330neos has rolled out of the paintshop. The rare A330-800 widebody plane looks stunning in the East African flag-carrier’s livery. Once the new long-haul jets have joined the revived airline’s fleet, the carrier plans to deploy them on routes to Dubai and London.

The aircraft, manufactured at Airbus’ facilities in Toulouse, has been registered as 5X-NIL. Uganda Airlines confirmed today that its delivery for December remains on schedule.

Start-up and flag-carrier

Uganda Airlines only commenced operations in August last year. The airline, both a start-up and a national carrier, currently only has four Bombardier CRJ-900s in its fleet. It usually operates routes throughout East Africa but has been granted permission to go to Johannesburg. Operations to the South African metropolis were initially scheduled to begin in March but are now set to commence within the coming weeks.

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Why is the aircraft rare?

The A330neo is the latest version of Airbus’ widebody jet, launched in July 2014. It has two versions; the A330-800 and the A330-900. Uganda Airlines’ plane is of the former model, slightly smaller than its sibling but with a longer range.

Thus far, Airbus has sold only 14 of the A330-800, which makes Uganda’s new jet rare indeed. The A330-900, on the other hand, has proved more popular. Airbus has sold 318 of the model and delivered 49 of them up until now. Delta Air Lines was the launch customer for the A330-900, putting in an order for 35 in November 2014. Thus far, it has taken delivery of seven, three of which are currently listed as parked.

Airbus Updates No.2129

Uganda Airlines firms up A330neo order

Illustration of Uganda Airlines Airbus A330-800N © Airbus

09.04.2019 - 08:04 UTC

Uganda Airlines (Entebbe/Kampala) has firmed up a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) for two A330-800s. The preliminary order for the widebody jets was signed during the 2018 Farnborough Air Show.

According to a parliamentary report submitted on March 26, the two A330neo are tentatively due to deliver during the final quarter of 2020. They cost USD108 million each of which a deposit of USD1.1 million was put down last year. A further USD10 million dollars was to be paid for each jet by March 31. The full USD20 million is, therefore, presumed to have now been paid given Airbus's confirmation of the order. The next instalment date is October 31, 2019, when the state will again pay USD26,748,476 for each aircraft. The balance is due to be settled by October 2020.

Aside from the A330neo, Uganda Airlines also has four CRJ-900s on order from Bombardier (BBA, Montréal Trudeau). The first two regional jets were to have delivered on March 26 with the remaining two to deliver in July and September of this year.

Although a total of UGX1.26 trillion (USD336.8 million) was allocated by parliament during its FY2018/19 budget for the purchase of all six aircraft, an additional UGX280 billion Ugandan shillings (USD75.6 million) was required to pay off the balance due on the first two CRJs (USD41.55 million or USD20.775 million x 2) and secure spare parts (USD5 million). The airline also required USD29.9 million to fully refund the government for funds that were to have been used to cover initial capitalization costs but which were ultimately used to pay the deposit for the four CRJs (USD27.7 million or USD6.925 million x 4) after the government failed to secure external financing.

However, given that parliament only agreed to disburse the required UGX280 billion on March 29, the first of the CRJs, 5X-KOB (msn 15457), will now only arrive in Entebbe/Kampala on April 23.

Uganda Airlines hopes to complete its AOC drive and launch soon after the reception of its first aircraft.

Airbus Updates No.1904

UGANDA AIRLINES ORDERS TWO AIRBUS A330NEO AIRCRAFT

Uganda Airlines, the national carrier of Uganda, has signed a memorandum of understanding for two A330-800neo, the new version of the best-selling A330 widebody airliner, featuring new wings new Rolls-Royce’s latest-generation Trent 7000 engines, new systems and a new Airspace cabin interior.

The agreement was announced at Farnborough airshow by Ephraim Bagenda, CEO of Uganda Airlines and Eric Schulz, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer.

Uganda Airlines plans to use the A330-800neos to build its international long-haul network with the aircraft offering cutting-edge technologies along with most efficient operations. The aircraft will feature a three-class cabin layout comprising 20 Business, 28 Premium Economy and 213 Economy seats.

“This agreement demonstrates our ambition for economic growth supported by a robust aviation industry. The A330-800neo combines low operating costs, long range flying capability and high levels of comfort. We are looking forward to launch operations and offer our customers best-in-class service”, said Ephraim Bagenda, CEO of Uganda Airlines.

“We are delighted to welcome Uganda Airlines among our A330neo customers, the A330neo will bring a range of benefits offering unrivalled efficiencies combined with the most modern cabin. We look forward to see the A330-800neo flying in the colours of Uganda”, said Eric Schulz, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer.

Airbus Updates No.1835

Ugandan gov't orders Airbus A330s for new national carrier

Logo of Uganda Airlines © Uganda Airlines

18MAY2018

The Government of Uganda has pushed ahead with its plans to establish a new national carrier.

According to The Monitor newspaper, Minister for Works and Transport, Monica Azuba-Ntege, told a media gathering in Kampala this week that government has made an initial cash deposit of approximately UGX4.43 billion Ugandan shillings (USD1.2 million) for the purchase of six aircraft.

Of the funds, Azuba-Ntege said UGX1.5 billion (USD403,133) had been put down for four CRJ-900s from Bombardier (BBA, Montréal Trudeau) while the remainder had been paid to Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) for two A330-200s. Of the sextet of aircraft, the Bombardiers are expected to deliver first.

Insofar as managerial infrastructure is concerned, the minister said that the Uganda National Airline Company has already been registered, an interim board and management appointed, and a business plan also approved by Cabinet. The carrier is expected to start flights in November this year.

Azuba said Uganda Airlines will also operate ancillary services such as groundhandling and catering among other tasks.

"The plan is to break even in four to five years," she said.

Uganda has been without a largescale commercial carrier since Air Uganda (U7, Entebbe/Kampala) was forced out of business back in 2013. Since then, the international Uganda market has been snapped up by the likes of Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, RwandAir, Emirates, flydubai, and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines among other operators. Domestic scheduled services are carried out by each of AeroLink Uganda and Eagle Air (both of which specialize in domestic flights)

As such, President Yoweri Museveni has argued that the launch of a successor to Uganda Airlines (1976) (QU, Entebbe/Kampala) is in the national interest and therefore a national priority.