Prasenjit Chakraborty - Mumbai Uganda Airlines announced the commencement of its India Operations with the launch of its new direct service, connecting Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and Entebbe International Airport in Uganda, with effect from October 7. This flight will be operated thrice a week between the two cities and offer a direct service on its Airbus A330-800 neo aircraft. The service will offer a three- class configuration with the Business (20 seats), Premium Economy (28 seats) and Economy (210 seats). The development will be the first time in more than 50 years that India and Uganda will be connected by a non-stop air service.
The route augments Uganda Airlines service outside the African continent and joins a rapidly expanding network that offers travellers convenient connections to South, West, Central and Eastern Africa. The direct service will last approximately 5 & 1/2 hours in each direction, bringing convenience to people travelling between the two points for business, family or tourism.
“We are excited to introduce this, the latest addition to our network, which affirms Uganda Airlines expands travel options for our passengers. Besides convenience, we hope this route will add energy to the existing business and commercial relations between India and Uganda that date back more than a century.” said Adedayo Olawuyi, Chief Commercial Officer, Uganda Airlines.
“Since 2017, I have relentlessly pursued the dream of a direct flight from Mumbai to Entebbe, believing it to be the catalyst for enhanced trade, commerce, and tourism between our two nations. I am elated to witness the realization of my vision.” H.E. Madhusudan Agrawal, Hon. Consul of Uganda.
Speaking exclusively to TravelBiz Monitor, Lenny Malasi, Country Manager-India, Uganda Airlines, said, “Mumbai is the commercial capital of India and because of this a lot of trade activities happen between Mumbai and Uganda. When it comes to student traffic, they(Students) mostly come to Mumbai and then go to other universities located in different parts of India. When it comes to business especially manufacturing segment, a lot of visitors originate from Mumbai. Because of this we are starting our flights from Mumbai.”
When asked to comment, whether they have any plans to codeshare agreement with other African airline to provide wider connectivity in the African countries? Malasi replied that they are looking for a partnership with local airlines. “Absolutely no way one can work alone in these days, hence, we are exploring partnerships with local airlines. Because India has a vast domestic network and we have to ensure that our passengers have connectivity both in India as well as Africa,” explained Malasi.
The inaugural flight UR 430 from Uganda will depart Entebbe on Saturday October 7 and the return UR 431 will depart Mumbai on Sunday October 8.
The schedule has been designed to fit neatly into the existing network to meet needs of those passengers who might wish to continue their journeys beyond Uganda.
Bookings are open and have been made convenient through the Uganda Airlines App, which allows passengers to make reservations, pay for tickets, modify itineraries and print boarding passes. The app is available on both Google Play and Apple iStore.
Uganda Airlines currently operates flights to Dubai, Johannesburg, Bujumbura, Nairobi, Mombasa, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Juba, Kinshasa and Mogadishu. Flights to Lagos, Nigeria, are scheduled to start shortly.
Flight Schedule for Uganda Airlines:
| Flight No. | Departure Airport | Departure Time (local) | Arrival Airport | Arrival Time (local) | Days of Operation |
| UR 430 | Entebbe (EBB) | 20:15 | Mumbai (BOM) | 05:55 | Mon, Wed, Sat |
| UR 431 | Mumbai (BOM) | 07:55 | Entebbe (EBB) | 12:25 | Tue, Thu, Sun |
