Uganda Airlines (UR, Entebbe) has signed firm order agreements with Bombardier Aerospace (BBA, Montréal Trudeau) and Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) for a total of six aircraft during the ongoing 2018 Farnborough Air Show.
Concerning Bombardier, the state-owned carrier has ordered four new CRJ900s which will feature 76 seats in a dual-class configuration including 12 Business class seats.
Concerning Airbus, Uganda Airlines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for two A330-800s. The widebody jets will feature a three-class cabin layout comprising 20 Business, 28 Premium Economy, and 213 Economy seats.
"As we were establishing Entebbe as a strong hub in East Africa and building more connectivity in Africa, we have had to thoroughly review our needs," CEO Ephraim Bagenda said in a statement adding that both the CRJ and A330neo fit its profile requirements.
Though no delivery dates for either type were disclosed, State Minister for Planning, David Bahati, told a cabinet meeting earlier this month that he expects the state-backed carrier to commence operations between March and April 2019.
With the impending launch of Uganda Airlines, Burundi and South Sudan are the only members of the East African Community without an active national carrier project. Other members of the bloc include Uganda, Rwanda (with RwandAir), Kenya (with Kenya Airways), Tanzania (with Air Tanzania).
