Uganda Airlines Announces Flights To London

Uganda Airlines has announced it’ll deploy direct flights between Uganda and London after several high-profile and successful meetings.

The airline was able to secure slots into London Heathrow thanks to the acquisition of the Airbus A330neo in 2020 and 2021. These widebody jets have allowed airlines to fly longer-ranged flights.

The service will be direct and originate from Entebbe, with the flight conclusion in London. Uganda’s High Commission in London said the national carrier held positive talks with UK aviation authorities over the prospective acquisition of slots.

Ultimately, this development has been in the making as the airline continued to assess the market and see pushback in the acquisition of slots. Notably, the airline’s certification status was the largest roadblock, which needed updating.

The demand between the two locations set to be served is present, with close to 100,000 passengers flying the route before the pandemic. However, with no connection present, Entebbe has become a significantly underserved market when considering connectivity between Africa and the United Kingdom.

For London Heathrow, it adds another nonstop city to its portfolio of routes offered by airlines located at the airport. Movements such as these are hugely positive considering the difficulties in obtaining slots into the highly congested airport.

Uganda Airlines remains one of the few airlines to fly the Airbus A330-800, the smallest variant of the A330neo family. The -800 has struggled to attract firm interest since its launch with only a handful of operators. The A330-900 has been the variant that brings in bulk orders.