Summary
- Uganda Airlines has inaugurated its recent Entebbe-Lagos route, with the primary flight receiving a water jet salute upon landing in Nigeria.
- The airline will operate three weekly flights between Entebbe and Lagos, aiming to expand its destinations in West Africa.
- The brand new route will significantly reduce travel time between Uganda and Nigeria and likewise provide short connection times for flights to Mumbai, Dubai, and Johannesburg.
Uganda Airlines touched down in Nigeria on October 19, marking the inauguration of its recent Entebbe-Lagos flights. The service will probably be operated thrice per week with the Airbus A330neo. Following the inaugural flight, the airline is eyeing more destinations within the West African country.
The Crane lands in Lagos
The Ugandan flag carrier, affectionately often called the Crane, has added Lagos as its thirteenth international destination. The primary flight UR900 departed Entebbe International Airport (EBB) at 16:22 and arrived at Murtala Muhammed International (LOS) at 18:26. It was welcomed with a water jet salute, marking a momentous occasion for the East African carrier.
The return flight UR901 was operated on the identical day, departing LOS at 20:49 and arriving at EBB at 02:30 local time. The service will run on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays with the next schedule:
- Entebbe-Lagos: UR900: 07:00-09:30 (Sun & Mon); 16:00-18:30 (Thu).
- Lagos-Entebbe: UR901: 11:00-17:30 (Sun & Mon); 20:00-02:30+1 (Thu).
The aircraft operated on the route has registration 5X-NIL and is one among two A330-800s the airline received about two years ago. While it’s a really unpopular type, it’s the only widebody equipment within the carrier’s fleet. The remainder of the fleet comprises 4 CRJ900LRs.
More Uganda-Nigeria connections
Uganda Airlines is now the one scheduled carrier operating non-stop flights between Uganda and Nigeria. Launching this service will significantly reduce the traveling time from over ten to 4 hours. The schedule also targets connecting traffic to Mumbai, Dubai, and Johannesburg, as flying through Entebbe provides short connection times.
Photo: Airbus
The inaugural flight was sent off with an event at Entebbe Airport attended by various airline executives and stakeholders. After landing in Lagos, delegates gathered for the Nigeria-Uganda Trade and Tourism Business Forum to encourage trade relations between the 2 countries and leverage opportunities of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Speaking on the event, Uganda Airlines CEO Jenifer Bamuturaki said,
“Our Entebbe-Lagos flight is the gateway to immense opportunities. It connects Uganda and Nigeria through business, tourism, culture, entertainment, and more.”
In response to the Independent, Uganda Airlines has also received approval to fly to 2 more Nigerian cities. Speaking on the inauguration, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said that the Federal Government (FG) had granted the Crane permission to launch flights to Kano (KAN) and Abuja (ABJ). He added that the approval was granted consistent with the promotion of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).
Welcoming more African airlines
Nigeria has Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASAs) with several countries, and as such, over 25 international airlines fly to the West African nation, including Air France, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Ethiopian Airlines, and Qatar Airways. After Uganda Airlines, Air Algerie is the most recent African carrier seeking to join the party.
Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis | Shutterstock
The carrier recently launched flights to South Africa, Ethiopia, and Cameroon and hopes to fly to Nigeria before the top of the yr. In response to the Every day Trust, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said that the FG would review its BASA with Algeria to permit flights to Abuja. The meeting between the respective aviation authorities was scheduled for December but will probably be moved as much as November 7 to hurry up the method.
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