Uganda Airlines gets first planes

Uganda has received two aircrafts to revive Uganda Airlines, almost two decades after the national carrier collapsed.

The two Bombardier CRJ900 jets were received at Entebbe airport on Tuesday, about 30 kilometres from Kampala.

Over the next three months, Uganda Airlines is scheduled to undergo a series of tests before its first commercial flights.

According to Ephraim Bagenda, CEO of Uganda Airlines, “commercial operations will be launched in early July 2019. And we’re going to start with some liaisons. In the long term, we want to cover 21 destinations. But we have to take it easy.”

In July, the Ugandan company’s fleet will be supplemented by two more Bombardier aircrafts, while Airbus will deliver two others by 2021.

Uganda Airlines is emerging from a long hibernation after the company was liquidated in 2001 due to management and corruption problems.

Some local politicians have expressed fear that the same problems will resurface in the East African country.