COMMENT | DEREK NSEKO | You may or may not have noticed an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft flying in the Uganda Airlines name. It is a quiet but striking symbol of the strategic shift now underway at the national carrier, brought in swiftly to plug a gaping operational hole but telling a …
Read More »COMESA’s airlines struggle to keep up
Regional watchdog, aviation experts push enforcement of 2025 consumer protection rules as delays and cancellations surge NEWS ANALYSIS | JULIUS BUSINGE | When Moses collected his luggage at an East African airport, he expected a routine arrival. Instead, he found opened gadget packages in his side bag—items he said he …
Read More »IATA safety report: 51 air accidents in 2025
US-Israel war on Iran heightens fears on air travel safety Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | There were 51 accidents in 2025 among 38.7 million flights, according to the annual safety report of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Of these, eight were fatal, most prominently the crash of …
Read More »Missiles in the Gulf, inflation in East Africa
Rising oil prices, disrupted air travel, and a shift in Sudan’s conflict COVER STORY | IAN KATUSIIME | The US–Israeli war against Iran may be unfolding thousands of kilometres away, but its consequences are already being felt far beyond the Middle East. For East Africa’s fast-growing economies—Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania—the …
Read More »Wings of ambition, weight of reality
Uganda’s national airline confronts the limits of scale, strategy and state control COVER STORY | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Airlines, the national carrier relaunched in 2019 to reconnect the country to international markets, has temporarily grounded its entire long-haul fleet, a move that has disrupted flights to London and …
Read More »The tragedy at Uganda Airlines
Why the problem at our national career is not one of new business trying to find its way but of grossly incompetent management THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | As the new year begins during the last two weeks of a presidential election, I feel it is necessary …
Read More »Uganda’s aviation boom
Uganda’s aviation sector eyes tripling passenger capacity, 300+ million liters of sustainable fuel potential, and 64 global air service pacts to propel economic ascent by 2030 Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Uganda’s aviation industry is charting an ambitious growth path, underpinned by major infrastructure upgrades, strategic international partnerships, and …
Read More »West Africa’s push for cheaper flights
Air travel across West Africa is set to become dramatically cheaper as ECOWAS eliminates a host of taxes and charges that currently make up nearly half the cost of a typical airline ticket. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | West Africa is bracing for a jump in air travel demand as …
Read More »UCAA: We are going to investigate Uganda Airlines
Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority has announced plans to investigate recent flight disruptions at Uganda Airlines following a series of cancellations and delays that have inconvenienced passengers and drawn widespread public attention. Speaking on the sidelines of a stakeholder engagement organised by the Uganda …
Read More »Global airlines to post record $41 billion profit in 2026, IATA says
Carriers buoyed by unprecedented efficiency, but African operators lag amid high costs, older fleets London, UK | THE INDEPENDENT | Global airlines are on track to achieve a record net profit of $41 billion in 2026, the International Air Transport Association said in its latest outlook, as carriers squeeze historic …
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