(Posted 21st November 2024)
Uganda Airlines’ lease of an A320 from South Africa ended in October as a result of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority only permitting ACMI leases for a maximum of 6 months.
With the aircraft gone back to lessor Global Aviation of South Africa has Uganda Airlines now closed the capacity gap by entering another 6 months ACMI lease with a Danish firm, DAT. The A320-200 will be just under 10 years old when eventually arriving in Uganda as the aircraft is presently undergoing maintenance.
From mid next year (2025) does Uganda Airlines then intend to dry lease two A320Neo aircraft to avoid the wet lease regulations of UCAA which make ‘life’ difficult due to a 6 months term limit for ACMI leases – a rather arbitrary measure according to local aviation experts.
Indications are also firming up that the airline does indeed intend to order two Boeing B787 aircraft though final decisions by government have not yet been announced. This will further add to the number of aircraft types Uganda Airlines would then have to operate, adding yet more operational challenges to the young carrier, having to operate the A330-800 Neo (2 aircraft), the CRJ900 (4 aircraft), the two to be leased A320Neo’s and then also the B787, itself by the way a very challenged aircraft given its history and the recent upheavals at Boeing.
Common sense would dictate to keep a fleet to as few aircraft types as possible for a compact fleet management regime, but it appears this conventional wisdom has not been employed in informing the decision to purchase Boeing aircraft.
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