Uganda Airlines has announced new routes to Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Zambia, building on gains the national carrier has made in re-establishing its post-COVID capacity.
On Tuesday, July 17, the airline announced on social media that it was starting flights from Entebbe to Abuja from September 12, and Lusaka and Harare from September 25.
The Abuja flights will be operated every Sunday and Thursday by the airline's flagship A330-800 aircraft, carrying up to 388 passengers, as an extension of existing flights to Lagos.
Flights to Lusaka and Harare will operate four times a week, on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, utilising a CRJ-900 aircraft carrying up to 90 passengers.
The new services, combined with existing services to Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam, Dubai, Johannesburg, Juba, Kilimanjaro, Kinshasa, Lagos, Mogadishu, Mombasa, Mumbai, Nairobi, and Zanzibar, expands Uganda Airlines' coverage to 16 destinations.
The airline aims to double its fleet over the next five years, and is reportedly in discussions with Boeing to acquire 777 Freighters and 787 Dreamliners to enhance long-haul cargo and passenger capacity.
In July, the carrier announced that it had successfully secured slots at London Gatwick, with the intention of starting services by the end of the year. This, after plans to start a Heathrow service fell through.