A cross section of Uganda Airlines fleet at the Entebbe International Airport
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The Uganda National Airlines Company Limited [Uganda Airlines] has kicked off a $50 million (Shs 183 billion) plan to establish a fully equipped and up-to-standard aircraft hangar.
An aircraft hangar is a large, enclosed structure designed to house and protect aircraft. These buildings are essential for sheltering aircraft from the elements, providing secure storage, and facilitating maintenance and repair work.
Adedayo Olawuyi, the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, said that the aircraft hangar is part of the airline’s 10-year strategic plan.
“We have been engaging with the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA). We are looking to acquire land from them to build our own hangar,” he said, adding that the move will enable them to conduct in-house maintenance.
Last year, the airline received approval from the (UCAA) to become an Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO) and has since enrolled engineers to conduct maintenance up to line checks at Entebbe Airport.
Olawuyi however pointed out that major maintenance checks are still conducted at approved AMOs abroad.
“We hope to develop the expertise and capabilities to conduct heavy maintenance checks in Entebbe in the future, a move which will help us save significant foreign exchange currently spent on outsourcing maintenance services,” he said.
Jenifer Bamuturaki, the airline’s CEO said that they will phase out its four CRJ 900s, as one of the moves to curtail its loss making position.
“The manufacturer, Bombardier, ceased production of the CRJ model after selling its commercial aircraft division to Mitsubishi, leaving a scarcity of spare parts that has made maintenance increasingly difficult and costly. This brought us a mounting challenges of sourcing spare parts,” she said.
Speaking to MP’s on the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) recently, she said that they are now actively considering a replacement fleet of aircraft that are easier to service and more readily supported by manufacturers.
However, it has been observed that the CRJ 900s, each with a capacity of 76 passengers, are the more appropriate in serving key regional destinations such as Nairobi, Juba, and Dar es Salaam.
Bamuturaki further pointed out that the CRJ’s operational lifespan for many airlines is typically between 10 to 12 years.
“We are currently holding internal discussions about the timeline for our older fleet’s final retirement. We will also boost our long-haul network, which is currently managed by two Airbus A330-800 neo aircraft.”
Route expansion
Officials further disclosed that as part of their expansion strategy, they plan to expand the route coverage.
The airline now flies to 17 destinations, including Abuja, Lusaka, Harare, Nairobi, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Bujumbura, Johannesburg, Dubai, Zanzibar, Lagos, Kinshasa, Mumbai, Mogadishu, Juba, and Kilimanjaro.
Uganda Airlines recently launched a direct flight to London Gatwick, its third international route outside Africa, following Mumbai and Dubai.
The national carrier is also planning to acquire two cargo freighters which include a narrow-body Boeing 737 and a wide-body Boeing 777 freighter.
Bamuturaki also told the legislators that before the end of the year, the they plan to introduce new routes to Accra (Ghana), Jeddah and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), and Cape Town (South Africa).
“By the end of the 10-year plan, Uganda Airlines aims to operate between 32 and 35 destinations.”
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