يوگنڊا کان گوانگڊونگ: سڌو پرواز ڪريو

The China Civil Aviation Authority has granted Uganda Airlines an early morning landing slot at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Guangdong province, in Southern China.

According to Shakila Rahim Lamar, Head of Corporate Affairs and Public Relations, Uganda Airlines, the national carrier, will be flying to China once a week as they wait for China’s Civil Aviation Authority (CCAA) to grant them more flights in the future.

“We are delighted that the China Civil Aviation Authority has granted us rights to start operating scheduled flights in China, definitely this comes in as great news and we are excited about that. This weekly flight is to try to control COVID infection as they monitor the progress of how the flight will be and then subsequently the authorities in China can look at increasing the numbers,” that soon the airline is going to announce when the direct flights to China will commence. “I urge Ugandans as our prime clients to continue supporting the National Career to enable it to achieve more success,” said Shakila. She further stated:

The China route will enable Ugandans to do their business travel directly.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Tourism Wildlife and Antiquities, this is another great opportunity to ease movement, boost tourism, and connect with the world.

Uganda’s envoy to China and Senior Presidential Advisor Regional Matters, Ambassador Judith Nsababera, tweeted, “Congratulations to and the entire team that worked together to secure this opportunity, and I can’t wait to welcome you all to Guangzhou aboard this beauty.” 

In a study conducted by Uganda Civil Aviation Authority 5 years back, the top 5 major destinations for Ugandans traveling through Entebbe International Airport were the United Arab Emirates, Kenya, China, the United States of America, South Africa, and England. And China is the third most popular destination since most Ugandans who travel for business end up in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong.

As of now, flying to China, one must first fly to Dubai for about 5 hours, and spend some hours in transit, before connecting to another flight from Dubai to China, which takes about 7 more hours, however, when direct flights from يوگنڊا to China commence, it shall take a total of about 9 hours.

This is also a bigger score to the business community since international trade reports indicate that China exports varieties of goods to Uganda including electronics, garments, footwear, and machinery. Likewise, Uganda exports 90 percent of its agricultural goods to China.

In March 2021, the airline secured landing rights in London Heathrow in the United Kingdom which was disrupted by travel restrictions at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In May 2021, Uganda Airlines launched regular scheduled flights between Entebbe International Airport and O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg.

In October 2021, the Entebbe Dubai route was launched just in time for the start of the 6-month Dubai Expo 2020 when a Uganda Airlines 289-capacity Airbus Neo A 300-800 series carrying 76 passengers including a delegation led by the Honorable Minister of Tourism Wildlife and Antiquities, Major Tom Butime, marked the first long-haul flight for the carrier outside the African continent after a 20-year hiatus since the airline was first liquidated in 2001 before launch in August 2019.