Bar Aviation (HE, Kajjansi) has secured a license from the Uganda Investment Authority recognising the UGX140 billion shilling (USD137.5 million) the carrier has ploughed into the country as well as the 150 jobs it has created.
An investment license is a mandatory requirement for domestic and foreign companies investing in Uganda, according to the UIA website. It is issued free of charge within 48 hours of application, opens the door for companies to acquire secondary sector-specific licenses, and renders the applicant eligible for tax incentives.
Presenting the license to Bar Aviation on August 18, Ugandan Minister for Privatisation and Investment Evelyn Anite lauded the company's contribution to local aviation and employment creation, pointing out it now qualified for incentives that should help boost its growth.
The company operates more than 20 aircraft (fixed- and rotor-wing) targeting tourists and domestic commuters, trains pilots, and runs air ambulance service in Uganda and the East African region. It employs 150 people, 99% of whom are Ugandans. Its flight school has trained more than 300 pilots and aeronautic engineers deployed at, amongst others, Uganda Airlines, Emirates, and Kenya Airways.
According to the company website, the fixed-wing fleet includes the following aircraft types: Beech 1900D, PC-12, Cessna (single turboprop) 208B Grand Caravan, Cessna (single piston) C-172, Bombardier Aerospace Challenger 604, and Lockheed Hercules.
Anite undertook to fix airport road infrastructure problems and expand the Kajjansi Airfield runway to help ease congestion at Entebbe. "Government can look into developing Kajjansi aerodrome into an entry and exit point and expanding the facility to act as an alternative aerodrome to Entebbe," she said.
