Photo: Shutterstock Uganda Airlines takes off on a historic journey. Tomorrow, May 18, 2025, Uganda Airlines will embark on a historic flight from Entebbe Airport to its new destination, Gatwick Airport in London.
This marks the first-ever direct route by Uganda's national airline to Europe, paving a new path for East Africa's aviation relations with the United Kingdom.
The new flights are expected to strengthen economic, cultural, and human connections between the two nations—particularly for the large Ugandan community residing in the UK.
The direct connection to the UK is viewed as a strategic move: it is anticipated to increase investor flow, promote Uganda's tourism industry, and place the country as a more relevant investment destination on the international map.
Uganda currently offers a rare blend of rapid economic growth, open regulatory frameworks for foreign investments, some of the lowest labor costs in the region, abundant natural and biological resources, and unrealized tourism potential.
The new route, therefore, signifies not just a transportation convenience and headline for travelers, but an economic and diplomatic move with broad significance, granting Uganda enhanced visibility in the European market.
Since re-launching in 2019 after nearly two decades of absence, Uganda Airlines is considered a strategic diplomatic-economic tool for the Ugandan government: aimed not only at improving the country’s connectivity but also at promoting tourism, trade, and international investments.
Originally established in 1976, Uganda Airlines operated until 2001 and was revived in 2019 by the Ugandan government as part of a vision to improve national transportation and restore the country’s pride.
In its early days, Uganda Airlines mainly operated domestic and regional flights, with destinations such as Nairobi (Kenya), Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar (Tanzania), Juba (South Sudan), Bujumbura (Burundi), Kinshasa (Congo).
With the launch of the route to London (Gatwick), the company is transitioning into a new chapter—broad-scale international aviation, with plans to expand into additional markets in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Fleet
Uganda Airlines operates a modern fleet consisting of: 4 Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft—well-suited for regional flights, offering impressive comfort for business class. 2 Airbus A330-800neo aircraft—advanced wide-body planes designed for long-haul routes, including the London line.
Uganda's strategic aspiration is to position itself as a regional transportation hub and a global investment and tourism destination.
Uganda Airlines serves as one of the key instruments for achieving this, based on the understanding that quality air connectivity is a critical infrastructure for growth.
With planned future routes to Dubai, Mumbai, Guangzhou, and other major cities, Uganda Airlines aims to become a legitimate player on the global stage, and in this sense, the inaugural flight to London signifies not just a geographic destination—a global statement.