Monica Rubombora, the Resident Representative of Uganda Airlines, South Africa, said her team is working tirelessly to ensure each flight is fully booked. She confirmed that bookings so far indicate that several people in South Africa want to travel, regardless of restrictions put in place to combat the spread of COVID-19.

On what it means for the sector, Vice Chair of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO), and Managing Director of Speke Uganda Holidays, Tony Mulinde, who was also on board the flight, had this to say when asked by eTN: “The new routing is a game changer for tourism in Uganda. The flight was smooth, and meals and beverages were sumptuous, served by kind hostesses.

“South Africa’s middle- and upper-class population are eager to explore new unique destinations like Uganda whose safari experiences are different from what is available at home. The affordable direct route to the ‘Pearl of Africa‘ offers just that. South Africa is a gateway to Africa with it’s over 16 million tourists a year, and for many minds in the west it remains the only part of Africa.

“Now guests traveling to Kruger, Cape Town, and Victoria Falls can include primate trekking on their itinerary in a convenient manner. In addition, middle-class Ugandans wishing to spend holidays in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town can now conveniently plan their vacations. Previously, tourists needed at least 12 hours to travel via Addis Ababa or Nairobi, but now that has been cut down to 4 hours, just about the range of the CRJs.”

The last direct flight service between the 2 hubs was in February 2020 when South African Airways ceased all its flights to Entebbe in a major restructuring.

A statement from the Uganda Airlines reads: “This new route shall offer the most convenient non-stop scheduled service and more flight frequencies. The national carrier will start with 4 weekly lights to Johannesburg with days and times carefully selected to match travelers’ time convenience and connectivity.”

Beyond the main hubs at Entebbe and Johannesburg, this service will also enhance connectivity to and from the airline’s current network which includes Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kinshasa, Juba, Mogadishu, Bujumbura, Zanibar, Mombasa, and Kilimanjajro.

#tasuwa

ABUBUWAN DA ZA KU GUDU DAGA WANNAN LABARI:

South Africa is a gateway to Africa with it’s over 16 million tourists a year, and for many minds in the west it remains the only part of Africa.
On what it means for the sector, Vice Chair of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO), and Managing Director of Speke Uganda Holidays, Tony Mulinde, who was also on board the flight, had this to say when asked by eTN.
Beyond the main hubs at Entebbe and Johannesburg, this service will also enhance connectivity to and from the airline's current network which includes Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kinshasa, Juba, Mogadishu, Bujumbura, Zanibar, Mombasa, and Kilimanjajro.