Uganda Airlines (1976–2001)


Uganda Airlines was the flag carrier of Uganda. The airline was established in, and started operations in 1977. It was headquartered in Entebbe, Wakiso District, Uganda, and operated from its hub in Entebbe International Airport.
Attempts were made by the Government of Uganda to privatise the company, but all potential bidders pulled out, eventually leading to the liquidation of Uganda Airlines Corporation in. The airline was later revived and began flying again in 2019 under the same name, Uganda Airlines.

History

Uganda Airlines was founded as a subsidiary of the government-owned Uganda Development Corporation in as a replacement of the services previously operated by East African Airways. It commenced operations in 1977, when Uganda Aviation Services , set up by British United Airways in 1965 but then a UDC subsidiary, was absorbed by Uganda Airlines, taking over the UAS route network. Following delivery of the first Boeing 707-320C in the late 1970s, new routes to Brussels, London and Rome were inaugurated. A second Boeing 707-320C entered the fleet in 1981. That year, new routes to Cairo, Cologne and Dubai were launched, followed by Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro and Nairobi in subsequent years.
By the fleet included one Boeing 707-320C, two Fokker F27-600s, one Lockheed L-100-30, one Twin Otter and one B-N Trislander. A Boeing 737 was leased from Air Zimbabwe in 1994 to serve Bujumbura and Kigali, as well as destinations in South Africa. Tel Aviv was added to the route network in 1995, and by 1998 all European routes were discontinued.
Upon the creation of Alliance Air in late 1994—later known as SA Alliance—an entity jointly owned by the Tanzanian and Ugandan governments, Air Tanzania and Uganda Airlines, as well as by South African Airways, Tanzania and Uganda granted the rights of long-haul operations to the new airline. The agreement intended to feed Alliance Air's operations with both Air Tanzania and Uganda Airlines domestic and regional services. However, both regional carriers grew less than expected, and the deficit Uganda Airlines accumulated led the Ugandan Government to make a decision on whether to liquidate the airline or privatise it.

Privatisation attempt and collapse

In the late 1990s, the airline was in a delicate cash position owing to mismanagement, when the Government of Uganda planned to privatise the debt-ridden airline, seeking for an investor to keep the company afloat. Initially, several firms held interest in taking over Uganda Airlines. SA Alliance/SAA, Air Mauritius, British Airways, Johannesburg-based Inter Air, Kenya Airways, and Sabena, all seemed to be interested bidders at the beginning, but eventually declined to submit bids, except for SAA that remained the only bidder by early 1999. SAA would have had a 49% participation in the company; nevertheless, it later dropped its bid after encountering strong legislature opposition. Having no offers, the Ugandan Government liquidated the airline in.

Destinations

From its hub in Entebbe International Airport, in its heyday the company used to operate scheduled services to destinations within Africa, Europe and Middle East. Following is a list of destinations Uganda Airlines served all through its history:
CountryCityAirportNotesRefs
BelgiumBrusselsBrussels Airport—
BurundiBujumburaBujumbura International Airport—
Democratic Republic of the CongoGomaGoma International Airport—
Democratic Republic of the CongoKinshasaN'djili Airport—
GermanyCologneCologne Bonn Airport—
IsraelTel AvivBen Gurion Airport—
ItalyRomeLeonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport—
KenyaMombasaMoi International Airport—
KenyaNairobiJomo Kenyatta International Airport—
RwandaKigaliKigali International Airport—
South AfricaJohannesburgOR Tambo International Airport—
TanzaniaDar-es-SalaamJulius Nyerere International Airport—
TanzaniaKilimanjaroKilimanjaro International Airport—
TanzaniaMwanzaMwanza Airport—
UgandaAruaArua Airport—
UgandaEntebbe/KampalaEntebbe International Airport
UgandaGuluGulu Airport—
UgandaKaseseKasese Airport—
UgandaMbararaMbarara Airport—
UgandaSorotiSoroti Airport—
UgandaTororoTororo Airport—
United Arab EmiratesDubaiDubai International Airport—
United KingdomLondonGatwick Airport—
United KingdomLondonStansted Airport—
ZambiaLusakaLusaka International Airport—
ZimbabweHarareHarare International Airport—

Codeshare agreements

Following is a list of companies Uganda Airlines had codeshare agreements with at the time of closure; routes were actually operated by Uganda Airlines:
  • Air Tanzania, Dar-es-Salaam and Johannesburg to/from Entebbe
  • Emirates, Dubai to/from Entebbe
  • Kenya Airways, Nairobi to/from Entebbe

    Fleet

Historically, the company operated the following aircraft:
  • Britten-Norman Trislander
  • Twin Otter
  • Boeing 707-320C
  • Boeing 727
  • Boeing 737-200
  • Boeing 737-500
  • Cessna 402B
  • Cessna U206
  • Cherokee 235
  • Cherokee Six
  • Fokker F-27-600
  • King Air 100
  • Lockheed L-100-30

    Accidents and incidents

According to Aviation Safety Network, the airline experienced three accidents/incidents throughout its history; only one of them yielded fatalities. Hull-losses are listed below.
  • : A Boeing 707-320C, registration 5X-UAL, that was standing at Entebbe International Airport, was destroyed by forces of the Tanzanian Army during the Uganda–Tanzania War. No fatalities were reported.
  • : Flight 775 was an international scheduled London-Gatwick–Rome-Fiumicino–Entebbe passenger service that crashed because of poor visibility on the final stage of its first leg, during the approach phase to Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport. The flight was operated with a Boeing 707-320C, tail number 5X-UBC. The aircraft broke up after hitting the roof of a building, and burst into flames. Out of 52 occupants aboard, there were 33 fatalities, while many survivors were seriously injured.