Inside Uganda Airlines’ Historic Maiden Flight To Mumbai, India

Uganda Airlines cabin crew for the maiden Mumbai route

October 7, 2023 will remain a historic day in Uganda’s relations with India. It’s a day Uganda Airlines, the country’s flagship carrier launched direct flights from Entebbe International Airport (Uganda) to Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in India.

The route is Uganda Airlines’ second service outside the African continent and the 12th across its network and joins a rapidly expanding network that offers travellers convenient connections to South, West, Central and Eastern Africa.

It’s historic in the sense that it’s the first direct flight between Uganda and India in over 50 years, easily connecting many Indians living in Uganda with their relatives back home in India.

The inbound inaugural UR 430 flight with close to 100 passengers aboard the state-of-the-art Airbus A330 departed Entebbe Airport at 13:35 (1:35pm) local time and touched down in Mumbai the same day at 23:08pm (destination time; 8:08PM local/Ugandan time). This means the journey from Entebbe to Mumbai is about six and half hours.

The experienced Captain Robert Wakhweya Bwayo, a Ugandan, was the Captain in Command. He was assisted by First Officer Brian Ochen, another Ugandan. Captain Joy Jeevan was also part of the crew. They flew three because it was the airline’s maiden flight. Normally, a plane is flown by two pilots.

The flight saw us fly over Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen, Oman and finally into the Indian air space. The plane was cruising at 39,000 feet.

Onboard Experience

Uganda’s delegation to Mumbai was led by Gen. Katumba Wamala, the Minister for Works and Transport. Passengers onboard were mainly Indians living in Uganda, students studying in India and a few business people from Uganda. I flew in the Economy Class and the in-flight service was generally good, with a caring cabin crew comprised of Ugandans.  Almost everything served onboard was Ugandan; the food and the drinks were all made from Uganda.

As a coffee enthusiast, I was elated to see Ugandan coffee-with its distinctive aroma, served onboard. I must admit that it was quite enjoyable and couldn’t get enough of it!

For in-flight entertainment, there’s a cocktail to choose from; music, movies and more about destination Uganda. However, Ugandans onboard want the national carrier to add Ugandan music to its in-flight entertainment system. As for me, the in-flight brain teaser/quiz, always makes my flights quite enjoyable as I learn new things.

The journey was generally smooth and comfortable, thanks to the good weather. Some passengers also praised the airline for the recently unveiled App that makes booking and checking in easy. Personally, I checked in using the App, making travelling easier by avoiding queues during check-in time.

Joseph Thon, a South Sudanese, who was onboard, described his experience as “enjoyable and comfortable.” He said he was travelling to India for his first time to start his studies in Petroleum Engineering.

“This direct flight from Entebbe to Mumbai will help us save time and money,” he said. Needless to say, a return ticket costs only US$480 according to Adedayo Olawuyi, the Chief Commercial Officer at Uganda Airlines.

Joseph Mayen Mayor, another South Sudanese student who’s in India to study a degree in Pharmacy, described the inaugural flight as exciting and comfortable.

“The staff (cabin crew) was caring,” Mayen said.

Upon arrival in Mumbai, Gen. Wamala said the maiden flight was a success.

“It was very comfortable. The Airbus is a very good and comfortable bird. We had a nice flight and we have been welcomed in a very big way than we expected. The reception was exceptional,” Wamala said, adding: “The message is very clear that there’s has been a lot of demand for this flight. Other than business, it will enable our people connect easily.”

Dan Kimosho, the Chairperson of Parliament’s Physical Infrastructure Committee, described the inaugural flight as “generally very good and comfortable.”

He added: “the service on the flight was very excellent offered by our own children (Ugandans). The chief pilot was a Ugandan and the First Officer was a Ugandan.”

He said this gives him hope in the future of the national carrier and Uganda’s aviation industry at large. He urged Ugandans to embrace the national carrier.

Route To Reduce on Trade Imbalance

The three weekly flights to Mumbai will not only benefit the 35,000 Indians living in Uganda, the 1,200 Ugandans studying in India, but also the business community from both countries as it could be used to bolster trade opportunities between the two nations. At the moment, the trading opportunities are tilted in India’s favour. The maiden flight to Mumbai had less than a tonne of cargo, but the return flight will have about five tonnes of cargo, a sign that Uganda is a big importer of India’s products especially the pharmaceuticals.

According to the Bank of Uganda (BoU) figures obtained by Business Focus, Uganda exported goods worth $94.54m to India in 2022, up from $93.45m in 2021. Earlier in 2020, Uganda earned $64.53m from exports to India, up from $62.27m in 2019.

BoU figures further show that Uganda imported goods worth $898.81m from India in 2022, up from $846.08m in 2021.

In 2020 ,India earned $766.58m from goods exported to Uganda, from $872.73m recorded a year earlier.

It’s hoped that this new route will result into more tourists and investors coming from India to Uganda.

India spends about $12.4 billion on travel alone annually. The Mumbai flights will open Uganda to the world as a tourist destination. Apart from connecting Uganda to the rest of the world, the flights will provide connections for Uganda’s agricultural products abroad with its cargo section.

These flights will also lower the cost of medical care and education for Ugandans in India.

Prof. Joyce Kikafunda, the Uganda High Commissioner to India, described the launch of this route as a game-changer for the India-Uganda relations as it will boost trade, investment, tourism and connect people.