Uganda Airlines will commence its first commercial flight this month after it was pushed by the Minister of Works in July due to what he said that the revived national carrier was yet to get an air operating certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
It was expected that the airlines would start operations in July, but minister Azuba says that wasn’t possible as the new expected date for the AOC is July 28.
“The targeted date for the issuance of the air operating certificate to the airline by CAA 28th July, 2019. This means that Uganda Airlines can fly after that date. Already the booking, the reservations, the ticketing and accounting systems of Uganda Airlines have been activated but in a test environment. The systems have been set up using the provisional IATA designator and IATA accounting codes. The issuance of the air operating certificate will therefore trigger the activation of the codes in a live environment.” said Azuba.
Now according to media reports, Uganda Airlines has slashed prices for the maiden flight slated for August 28, with a one-way ticket put at Shs166,000 from Entebbe to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
This means a return ticket goes for an enticing Shs330,000, a huge deal from the normal average $300 (Shs1.1 million) other airlines are charging for the same route.
The airline’s website currently shows there is no tax applied on the ticket. When the tax is applied, the ticket could be increased by $147 (Shs542,000) to bring the entire cost to $192 (Shs709,000) for a one-way economy ticket.
A round-trip would cost one in the highs of $277 (Shs1,023,000) with taxes inclusive, the Uganda Airlines website shows.
It is not yet clear when the tax will be applied. Online booking was activated on Wednesday.
The prices keep on changing reflecting the demand at the time. The people paying for the business class are charged $200 (Shs738,000) minus tax.
Uganda Airlines will take to the skies next Wednesday for the first commercial flight, which will leave Entebbe at 6:00am and land at JKIA at 7:15 am.
One-way ticket from JKIA to Entebbe will cost $70 (Shs258,000) but a tax of $90 (Shs332,000) will be applied to bring the total cost to $160 (Shs591,000).
Founded by former dictator Idi Amin in 1976, Uganda Airlines was liquidated in the 1990s by Mr Museveni under a broader programme to privatize troubled state firms and open up the economy.
But last year Uganda started pursuing plans to relaunch the airline to share in East Africa’s growing aviation business.
Mr Museveni is on record complaining about fares being charged by Kenya Airways on the Entebbe route due to limited competition and the absence the Ugandan national carrier. This signals the Ugandan carrier will be keen to trigger a price war on the route.
Budget carrier Jambojet is expanding to regional routes as it seeks to increase its revenue and establish presence in different African countries.
The KCAA recently granted Jambojet a three year licence to operate in seven new African countries.
The licences allow the airline to fly to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Dar-es-Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza (Tanzania), Kigali (Rwanda), Jubba, Hargeisa, Mogadishu (Somalia), Goma, Kisangani (Democratic Republic of Congo), Moroni (Union of the Comoros) and Lilongwe from its hub at JKIA.
Additional info: URN
