Uganda Airlines on Monday launched their commercial flights to Bujumbura to make it their fifth route in the region.
This followed a series of earlier successful launches of commercial flights to Nairobi, Juba, Mogadishu and Dar es Salaam last month as the national carrier intends to make a statement in the aviation industry.
Speaking at the function, the Works and Transport Minister, Monica Azuba Ntege described it as another milestone since the launch of the national carrier early this year.
“With this kind of milestone, the East African Community is developing in infrastructure. Uganda Airlines will reduce on the foreign expenditure since Ugandans would now be spending their travel money on their own national carrier,”Azuba noted.
Uganda Airlines CEO, Cornwell Muleya noted it has been a month since they commenced commercial flight and noted there has been great progress achieved.
“It has been an exciting experience thus far and we look forward to serving the region with our timely service. We are glad to be joining our partners like Ethiopian Airways, Kenyan Airways, Rwanda Air and Tanzanian Airways in providing uninterrupted cargo and passenger services,”Muleya said.
On Monday, UR flight 302* took-off from Entebbe International Airport at 4:00 pm and touched down at the recently renamed, Melchior Ndadaye International Airport, formerly known as Bujumbura International Airport by 5:15pm, Ugandan time.
The passengers were welcomed in Bujumbura by the Ugandan Ambassador to Burundi, Maj Gen Matayo Kyaligonza, Burundi government officials, Burundi aviation officials.
Uganda Airlines will be flying to Bujumbura, 3 times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The Airline is currently running a 2 month-long promotional campaign with subsidized fares.
To fly from Entebbe to Bujumbura will cost only $295 and only $247 from Bujumbura to Entebbe.
Uganda Airlines will receive two more Bombadier CRJ900s to join their fleet and as such and this will ensure the expansion of its route network to cover several other destinations in Southern and Central Africa, including DRC, Zanzibar, Asmara, Hargeisa, Lusaka, Harare, Johannesburg, Djibouti and Addis Ababa.
