The Uganda Airlines on Wednesday morning opened its first route to the beautiful mountains of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Flight to Kilimanjaro makes it the 7th destination since the national carrier’s inaugural flight on August 27, 2019. Kilimanjaro is an addition to Nairobi, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Juba, Bujumbura, and Mogadishu where the Airline already has operational routes.
The national carrier said they registered no delays as the flight set off at the same time this morning as scheduled.
“@UG_Airlines’ maiden flight from Entebbe to Kilimanjaro has registered no delays. The flight is scheduled to set off any minute from now,” tweeted the Uganda Media Centre earlier on Wednesday morning.
By lunchtime, the CRJ900 Bombardier touched down successfully at Kilimanjaro International Airport, Tanzania.
Richard Kabonero, the High Commissioner of Uganda to United Republic of Tanzania, said he was very glad the relationship between Uganda and Tanzania is continuously growing.
“This is a strong foundation for our economic growth. The new route (Entebbe-Kilimanjaro) is a brilliant enabler,” he said while meeting officials who had just landed.
Hon Ephraim Kamuntu, the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, represented Uganda at the celebrations of the established new route.
Speaking at the launch, Hon Kamuntu said the relationship of Uganda and Tanzania goes deep into blood.
“Very many Tanzanians stayed for long in Uganda and intermarried with our people.”
He added: “Entebbe-Kilimanjaro route is a gift for citizens to see relatives more regularly and promote tourism.”
On 23rd April 2019, Uganda Airlines received the first two Bombardier CRJ900s which are currently operational.
In September, the second batch of two Bombardiers was received and is currently being cleared for commercial flights.
The Airline also expects to receive two A330-800neo made by Airbus by end of the year.
The national carrier plans to expand its route map by flying to DRC, Zanzibar, Asmara, Hargeisa, Lusaka, Harare, Johannesburg, Djibouti, and Addis Ababa, and other international flights connecting Uganda to Europe, the Middle East, West Africa and Asia.
The target is to cover 20 destinations by end of the year 2021.
