Uganda Airlines (1976) (Entebbe) and its proposed revival by the Ugandan government has encountered stiff resistance from the Ministry of Finance and other cabinet members East Africa's Business Week has reported.
In reference to a question regarding a Uganda Investment Authority finding that the lack of a dedicated national carrier had proven detrimental to the country's tourism numbers, Tourism & Antiquities minister, Maria Mutagamba, told the newspaper: “One time, I was asked a question while agitating for the revival. Are there any tourists who are stranded, because there is no national carrier? I failed to answer that question.”
In June 2013, Kampala announced plans to carry out consultations on reviving the defunct national carrier, liquidated in 2001 under heavy debts and poor management.
Among the reported proposals include the acquisition of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development's(AKFED) shareholding in Air Uganda (Entebbe). Though Air Uganda offers extensive coverage of East and Central Africa, the airline does not offer any domestic flights, a shortfall that the Ugandan government says has resulted in local air travel being expensive and inaccessible to the majority of the populace.
