In recent days, passengers travelling with Uganda Airlines on routes between Uganda and destinations such as the United Kingdom, Nigeria, and Dubai have experienced serious inconvenience due to the airline’s repeated failure to operate flights according to schedule. While occasional delays are a common aspect of air travel, the disruptions associated with Uganda Airlines have gone far beyond what passengers reasonably expect.
Compounding the problem is the airline’s lack of timely communication and the absence of basic passenger support such as accommodation and meals during prolonged delays, services that are standard practice among most airlines.
As a result, travellers have been left to shoulder additional costs, endure significant loss of time, and miss critical business and personal commitments. Before scrutinising the current issue, it is important to briefly review the history of Uganda Airlines, including its original launch, the factors that led to its collapse, and its relaunch in 2021.
Uganda Airlines was established in 1976 under the government-owned Uganda Development Corporation and began operations in 1977, taking over routes previously operated by East African Airways through the integration of Uganda Aviation Services.
In the late 1970s, Uganda Airlines acquired its first Boeing 707-320C, and new routes to London, Brussels, and Rome were established. A second Boeing was purchased in 1981, leading to the launch of new routes to Dubai, Cairo, and Cologne, followed by Nairobi,Dar es Salaam, and Kilimanjaro.
However, as Uganda Airline grew, it encountered serious challenges. Notably, on April 1, 1979, during the Uganda-Tanzania War, a Boeing 707-320C was destroyed by Tanzanian military forces while stationed at Entebbe International Airport.
Furthermore, Uganda Airlines was plagued by financial mismanagement and a culture of impunity. By the late 1990s, Uganda Airlines faced severe financial difficulties, leading the government to seek privatisation.
With no viable investors and the withdrawal of South African Airways’ bid, all European routes were discounted, and the Uganda Airlines was ultimately liquidated in May 2001, ending its first era. After nearly two decades, the Uganda Airlines was reinstated. Its operations have been and continue to be primarily financed by the government through equity injections, loans from the Trade and Development Bank, and parliament-approved supplementary budgets for aircraft acquisitions.
In August 2019,Uganda Airlines resumed operations, beginning with flights from Entebbe to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and later expanding to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar. On December 18, 2020, Uganda Airlines began flights to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, followed by routes to Lagos, Nigeria, and Mumbai, India.
On May 18, 2025, the airline introduced direct passenger and cargo services between Entebbe and London Gatwick, operating four times weekly. While Uganda Airlines has expanded its network of routes, this growth has been accompanied by a noticeable decline in service quality.
Passengers from multiple destinations have reported recurring problems, including frequent and unexplained delays and flight cancellations, compounded by poor communication from the airline. Many travellers feel that ticket prices are disproportionately high given the level of service, especially considering the operational challenges.
There are also allegations that some airline staff have colluded with travel agencies to manipulate fares, leading to significant financial losses amounting to billions of shillings. It is vital to evaluate Uganda Airlines’ performance beyond the simple metric of route expansion, including a review of the qualifications and experience of its management, as appointments not based on merit risk wasting taxpayer money.
The current situation has provoked deep concern and raised hard, unavoidable questions among many Ugandans. Was the Uganda Airlines relaunched to genuinely serve the national interest, or is it a convenient escape route in the event of political instability or insurgency?
Was it revived to facilitate the private transportation of goods for corrupt and self-serving officials, or is it simply another vehicle for the systematic misappropriation of public funds? Those entrusted with authority must act decisively, transparently, and in the best interest of the nation, anything less is a betrayal of public trust.