Jenifer Bamuturaki (Centre), the Uganda Airlines Chief Executive Officer, addressing the press before the launch of Abuja route
Uganda Airlines has started flights to Abuja, Nigeria, as the national carrier continues to steadily expand its network.
The flights to Nigeria’s Administrative Capital come just one year after Uganda Airlines launched
services to Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub.
The inaugural UR 900 service to Abuja departed Entebbe at 16:00 hours on September 12, with a same-day arrival at Abuja Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 18:15. The flights, which will be tagged to the existing service to Lagos, will be available on Thursday and Sunday and will be operated using the national carrier’s flagship Airbus A330-800neo aircraft.
“We are proud to be living up to our promise to take Nigeria to Uganda and bring Uganda to Nigeria, Abuja is now our 14th point as we embark on our expansion plan,” says Uganda Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Jenifer Bamuturaki.
“Abuja is our second destination in Nigeria and the fourteenth overall in our network. Its launch underscores our continuing commitment to ease travel across Africa by providing efficient and affordable air services to facilitate business, tourism, and leisure travel,” Bamuturaki added.
According to international studies, Abuja is one of the most underserved markets in Africa.
Uganda Airlines’ new service is, therefore, important because it addresses the connectivity gap between the administrative capital of Africa’s most populous nation and East Africa. Through this service, travellers from Nigeria’s central, northern, and northeastern regions can seamlessly connect to Uganda Airlines’ services to Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Mombasa, Mogadishu, Mumbai, and Dubai, among others.
Speaking at the launch event held at Entebbe International Airport, Fred Byamukama, Minister of State for Works, said this development and others that will follow validate the government’s foresight and strategic vision in its decision to restart the National Carrier.
“Africa is severely disconnected, which makes cooperation and commerce very difficult and expensive. In the absence of efficient and functional road, rail and waterways, air transport is the low-hanging fruit as member states move to implement the African Continental Free Trade Area AfCTA,” said Byamukama.
He said there are many reasons to justify the investment in this flight.
“Abuja is a major economic and political centre in Nigeria that plays a crucial role in bilateral cooperation between Uganda and Nigeria. By establishing a route there, Uganda Airlines is enhancing connectivity between the two countries,” he said, adding that increasing air connectivity within Africa will help reduce travel times, lower costs, and improve accessibility across the continent.
He said this will facilitate trade, investment, and economic cooperation, benefiting businesses and the overall economy in both Uganda and Nigeria.
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa.
“Direct flights to Abuja will increase Uganda Airlines’ catchment area in the country and make it easier for tourists from Nigeria to visit Uganda and vice versa.
This will boost Uganda’s tourism sector by increasing the flow of Nigerian visitors. Although Nigerian movies have already introduced Ugandans to Nigerian culture, the availability of flights will take cultural interaction between Ugandans and Nigerians to the next level,” he said.
He added that this new flight shows Uganda’s commitment to delivering Africa’s continental integration agenda through enhanced mutual accessibility.
