Uganda Airlines inaugural flight to Lagos marks milestone in African air connectivity
On Thursday, the 19th of March 2023, Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos witnessed a scene of excitement and applause as Uganda National Carrier’s aircraft from Entebbe International Airport landed with a full load of passengers and a government delegation from Uganda.
This marked the inaugural flight of Ugandan Airline to Lagos, Nigeria under the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) after years of negotiations between both governments.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft received a water cannon salute from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria’s, FAAN, Airport Firefighting and Rescue Services. After disembarkation formalities and the exchange of greetings, including the presentation of flowers to Ugandan Government officials, it was time for a media briefing on the airline’s business in Nigeria.
Speakers at the briefing highlighted the airline’s role in reducing the time and effort required for travel from Lagos to destinations like India, Dubai, and Europe. They emphasized that this Eastern Airline would not only provide seamless African connectivity but also improve airfares for passengers.
Jenifer Bamuturaki, Uganda Airlines’ Chief Executive Officer, explained that the airline aimed to bridge the gap between East and West Africa, significantly reducing travel times.
She assured passengers of on-time performance, schedule reliability, comfort, and a great overall experience.
“And this flight was exactly 3 hours and a half. That means if you are flying to Mumbai or Dubai, you don’t have to go 10 hours across directions, you just come to Entebbe 3 and a half hours and you are in Dubai another 4 and a half hours. If you are going to Mumbai, you are in Entebbe 3 and half hours from Lagos, one hour in transit then you have another just 6 hours to Mumbai instead of spending 18 hours over flight”.
Uganda’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Amb. Nelson Ocheger, stressed the importance of air transportation in Africa’s growth, urging African nations to leverage the Single Africa Air Transport Market (SAATM) to achieve the 2065 Africa Agenda.
He said, efforts were also underway to promote technical cooperation and collaboration between aviation institutions in Uganda and Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, announced that two more cities in Nigeria, Abuja and Kano, had been approved as entry points for Uganda Airlines. Keyamo represented by the Director, Air Transport Management in the Ministry, Hassan Ejibunu said, this decision aimed to enhance connectivity and was in line with SAATM and the Yamoussoukro Declaration (YD) to liberalize intra-African air transport services.
Government officials from Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Aviation expressed their support for the success of Uganda Airlines’ operations in Nigeria, emphasizing the importance of seamless connectivity for the continent’s air transport growth and development.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar represented by Director of Airport Protocol in the Ministry, Ambassador Oludare Folowosele said, this move is aimed to reduce the need for European connections when traveling between African countries.
“It is ridiculous to go to Europe before connecting two African neighbouring countries. What we are doing today would lead to wealth creation, shortening of travel time from one country to another rather than depend on Europe all the time for flight connections.”
