Airlines increase flights from Entebbe

Regional airline Kenya Airways (KQ) has started flying directly to Guangzhou, a leading commercial and manufacturing district in China. At a press conference in Kampala, Titus Naikuni, KQ's MD said Guangzhou has been annexed to its list of destination because many traders are now flocking the district to shop for business while some are making holiday trips.

The destination boosts KQ's flights outside Africa to three in addition to London in the United Kingdom and Paris.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will start operating a fifth direct flight to Amsterdam from Entebbe on Mondays. KLM currently operates four flights to European destinations. The new flight is planned to commence on December 8, 2008.

“The fifth flight means more choice, convenience and flexibility for our customers and is in line with the current growing demand in Uganda,” said Martijn Hartkamp, KLM's country manager.

According to Hartkamp, the new flight, in addition to its partnership with Kenya Airways, will further strengthen Air France-KLM's presence in East Africa. In October, Doha-based Qatar Airways announced plans to start direct flights from Entebbe to destinations in the Middle East and the Far East, on the back of growing trade between counties in Africa and the two continents. The airline intends making Entebbe its regional hub when it starts its flights there between 2009 and 2010.

On the local front, Air Uganda the national flag carrier, plans to start connecting to Khartoum, through a partnership with Masland Aviation in addition to its daily flights to Juba. Air Uganda launched in November last year; in the last year alone, it stretched its wings beyond Nairobi to Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza and Zanzibar in Tanzania.

Ignie Igunduura, manager: public affairs, Civil Aviation Authority said that increased airline frequencies indicates more people travelling to Uganda and an increase in the capacity of Ugandans to travel. “It is also a mark of confidence in Uganda as a country, in our economy and opportunities for investment. It is a sign that the aviation industry is growing industry,” Igunduura said.