President Yoweri Museveni has ordered all government officials to use Uganda Airlines whenever travelling.
The resolution was passed during a Cabinet meeting on August 5, 2019.
“All government officials in ministries , Departments, Agencies and Parastatals are directed to fly on Uganda Airlines to all the destinations it would be flying to once the Airline commences operations,” the President said in a brief.
The Uganda Airlines successfully completed its maiden flight from Entebbe to Nairobi on Tuesday.
After a colourful ceremony of speeches and musical performances under glorious mid-morning sunshine, Flight UR202 took off from Entebbe International Airport at around 12:10pm and landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the Kenyan capital an hour later.
At JKIA, the plane was welcomed with a symbolic water salute.
The welcome ceremony was at Four Seasons, with Kenya’s Cabinet secretary for East African Community Adan Mohamed the chief guest.
Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) managing director, also in attendance, said “we are proud that Uganda Airlines has joined our airline fraternity at JKIA. We extend to you a warm welcome and wish you success at this airport”.
The first phase of the airline’s operations will feature flights to seven destinations, including Nairobi, Mogadishu (Somalia), Juba (South Sudan) and Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania).
In 2016, the government manifesto pledged to revive the airline “in order to reduce the cost of air transport and ease connectivity to and from Uganda”.
Two Bombardier planes were delivered in April this year for commercial operations, with the airline receiving an operator certificate on April 27.
The remaining two Bombardier aircraft are expected to be delivered by the end of next month (September). The Airbuses, which will do the longer international routes, will be delivered next year.
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