Uganda Airlines readies for maiden Nairobi flight

Kenya Airways will soon face competition on the Nairobi-Entebbe route, after Uganda Airlines announced plans to make a maiden dream to Nairobi soon.

“Ready to fly with us on our maiden flights? Well, pack your bags Uganda; for we are heading to Nairobi,” it tweeted on Friday, while extolling the Kenyan capital as the only city in the world with a national park.

The airline, which has been revived after a 20-year hiatus, has acquired two CRJ900 aircraft from Bombadier, which arrived in the neighbouring country on April 23 where they were received by President Yoweri Museveni at an elaborate ceremony at the Entebbe International Airport.

It is expected that Uganda Airlines will launch with cheaper prices in order to lure fliers away from Kenya Airways.

Museveni has previously complained over the high prices KQ charges on the route. Tickets of the Kenyan carrier go for Ksh 26,485 for economy class.

Jambojet, which is wholly owned by KQ, charges about Ksh 13,500 for a one-way ticket on the  route while RwandAir tickets go for Ksh 19,080.

The Ugandan carrier is also prioritising on utmost standards in both products and services in order to cut through regional competition.

” If we offer competitive prices and services with our hospitality why wouldn’t anybody choose us? We are not coming into the market as the underdogs. We are coming to do serious business with partners because for us we don’t have the word competitors,” Commercial Director Jennifer Bamutaruki was quoted as telling reporters in a past press briefing.

Apart from Nairobi, the airline has also secured Juba, Bujumbura, Dar-es-Salaam, Mombasa, Mogadishu and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania routes.

Read: The dying swipe: Credit cards on the verge of being obsolete

In addition, it has placed orders for more bigger planes, which are expected in the country by 2021 to serve Johannesburg and some European routes. It is also eyeing China and other Asian destinations to attract tourists.