Uganda Airlines firms up orders for two Airbus A330neo aircraft

Uganda Airlines, the national carrier of Uganda, has firmed up its order for two A330-800 airliners, the latest version of the most popular A330 widebody airliner.

Fitted with the new Airspace by Airbus cabin, the A330neo will bring a range of benefits to Uganda Airlines and its customers, offering unrivalled efficiencies combined with the most modern cabin.

Uganda Airlines plans to use the A330-800 to build its medium- and long-haul network with the aircraft offering cutting-edge technology along with more efficient operations.



Launched in July 2014, the A330neo Family is the new generation A330, comprising two versions: the A330-800 and A330-900, sharing 99% commonality. It builds on the proven economics, versatility and reliability of the A330 Family, while reducing fuel consumption by about 25% per seat versus previous generation competitors and increasing range by up to 1,500 nm compared to the majority of A330s in operation. The A330neo is powered by Rolls-Royce’s latest-generation Trent 7000 engines and features a new wing with increased span and new A350 XWB-inspired Sharklets. The cabin provides the comfort of the new Airspace amenities including state-of-the-art passenger in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi connectivity systems, amongst others.

Air Uganda announces indefinite suspension of operations

Air Uganda has announced it is indefinitely suspending operations after the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) last month revoked the Air Operators Certificates of all locally-based international carriers.

In a statement, the carrier placed the blame for its suspension solely on the UCAA and arguing that as an airline, it had conformed to all required international standards including securing its IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate.

It said the UCAA's failure to pass its most recent International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)-backed audit (Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme - USOAP) had resulted in it, along with Uganda Air Cargo and Transafrik International subsidiary, Transafrik Uganda, losing their AOCs.

"It is now apparent that the audit revealed shortcomings in the CAA’s oversight and regulatory capacities, consequently impacting the CAA’s ability to award Air Operators Certificates. The Ugandan CAA regrettably opted on 17th June to withdraw, without consulting the airlines affected, Air Operator’s Certificates (AOC) for all international commercial air operators registered in the country," it said.

During the process of recertification, the UCAA has instructed all affected airlines to suspend their operations. As a result of this, Air Uganda says it has incurred "massive financial losses on a daily basis" and suffered "reputational damage" warranting the suspension of flights.

Founded in 2007 as part of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), Air Uganda operated three CRJ-200s on flights to Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta, Dar-es-Salaam, Bujumbura, Kigali, Mogadishu, Kilimanjaro, Mombasa, and Juba. CEO Cornwell Muleya has now announced that all its aircraft will now be returned to their lessors in Europe.
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