MINISTERIAL STATEMENT SUGGESTS NEW LAUNCH DATE MOVED TO AUGUST
(Posted 19th July 2019)
In a statement to parliament yesterday has Works and Transport Minister Hon. Monica Azuba given the clearest indication yet, that – as a result of the late audit completion for the airline’s Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and the subsequent delay of securing the IATA two letter code – the new national airline may have to push their launch date from 31st of July into August this year.
As ATCNews had reported earlier was Uganda Airlines set for a launch on the last day of July of flights to Nairobi, followed the next day of their inaugural services to Mogadishu and Dar es Salaam but subject to attaining both AOC and IATA code in time to finalise preparations.
The Minister confirmed that the AOC should be issued on the 28th of July and the airline is immediately thereafter expected to push through their application to IATA for being officially allocated a two letter code. However, other requirements for the launch of flights need to be completed too, leaving the airline precious little time to meet their end July launch date.
https://atcnews.org/2019/07/10/ucaa-expected-to-complete-the-uganda-airlines-aoc-audit-in-late-july/
The airline will start operations with initially two CRJ900 aircraft although two more planes of the same make are to join the fleet later. It is presently not clear if initially given delivery dates, July and September, will remain or if these deliveries – as were the initial ones – could be pushed to a later date.
In 2020 and 2021 is the airline then expecting the delivery of two Airbus A338NEO’s which will be the first to be delivered to an African airline.
After the launch of the initial three destinations will Air Uganda then, according to a tweet seen on their Twitter handle, launch additional destinations like Juba, Bujumbura, Kilimanjaro and Mombasa. A further network expansion is then set for next year.
