Customers have praised Uganda Airlines following the national carrier’s first direct flight to Mombasa, Kenya.
The flight, UR 342 Entebbe-Mombasa which took off at 11:30am and landed in Mombasa slightly after 1:40pm was fully booked with 76 passengers and a full working crew, Watchdog Uganda has learnt.
It was flown by Captain Clive Okoth and First Officer Massa Ivan.
In Mombasa, they were welcomed by Ambassador Katureebe P Tayebwa, the first Consul General of Uganda in Mombasa who served them a delicious meal.
Currently, only Kenya Airways and RwandAir fly to Mombasa but have a stop in Nairobi for about one hour.
The direct to Mombasa will make easier for those who find it tedious to fly to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi before connecting to Moi International Airport in Mombasa.
According to Uganda Toursim Board’s Lily Ajarova, the Entebbe -Mombasa direct flight is strategic.
“Uganda will be an add-on destination to the many tourists coming to enjoy the beaches in Mombasa. The service on Uganda Airlines are great: the aircrafts are clean, the staff are warm and full of smiles, the pilots are great (the takeoff and landing are smooth, you feel nothing), the food and drinks are authentic Ugandan foods. It was awesome to hear “Welcome to Uganda” in the different Ugandan languages,” she posted.
“‘Bit by bit makes a bundle’, this add on with Uganda Airlines will support the growth of tourism sector and get us closer to be the preferred destination in Africa.”
Innocent Kihika, another passenger said,” We arrived safely and are now enjoying the Kenyan Hospitality at Moi International Airport.”
Also, Uganda is set to receive two Airbuses in 2020 which are expected to see the airline take competition from regional routes to international ones, according to Uganda Civil Aviation Authority director-general Dr David Kakuba.
The airline will make three trips to Mombasa on Monday, Friday and Sunday.
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