Uganda Airlines achieved a significant milestone in its strategic growth plan recently by commencing flights to Lagos, Nigeria on October 19, 2023. The Flight which operated out of Entebbe International Airport was heralded to a water cannon salute as it touched down at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja. Lagos.
Aboard the flight was a government delegation from Uganda together with an impressive load factor of passengers who had the rare privilege to experience the inaugural flight. Members of the government delegation were welcomed with excellent Nigerian hospitality and presented with flowers.
Speaking at a media conference to outline the airline’s presence and plans in Nigeria, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Uganda Airlines, Jenifer Bamuturaki, said that the goal of the airline is to bridge the gap between East and West Africa, significantly reducing travel times. She further assured passengers of on-time performance, schedule reliability, comfort, and a great overall experience.
“This flight was exactly 3 hours and a half. That means if you are flying to Mumbai or Dubai, you don’t have to go 10 hours across directions, you just come to Entebbe 3 and a half hours and you are in Dubai another 4 and a half hours. If you are going to Mumbai, you are in Entebbe 3 and half hours from Lagos, one hour in transit then you have another just 6 hours to Mumbai instead of spending 18 hours over flight,” Bamuturaki said with excitement.
Uganda’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Amb. Nelson Ocheger, stressed the importance of air transportation in Africa’s growth, urging African nations to leverage the Single Africa Air Transport Market (SAATM) to achieve the 2065 Africa Agenda. He said, efforts were also underway to promote technical cooperation and collaboration between aviation institutions in Uganda and Nigeria.
The Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo was represented by the Director, Air Transport Management, Mr. Hassan Ejibunu. He noted that the decision of Uganda Air to fly to Lagos aimed to enhance connectivity and was in line with SAATM and the Yamoussoukro Declaration (YD) to liberalize intra-African air transport services.
Speaking further, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar who was represented by the Director of Airport Protocol in the Ministry, Ambassador Oludare Folowosele said, “What we are doing today would lead to wealth creation, shortening of travel time from one country to another rather than depend on Europe all the time for flight connections.”
