Uganda Airlines’ Airbus A330-800 neo had a smooth and safe landing at Johannesburg Oliver Tambo International Airport on Thursday amidst jubilations and ululations.
As one of the mechanisms in the process of securing an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) for the new and rather special widebody aircraft, on Wednesday Uganda Airlines sent one of its two rare Airbus A330-800neos on a demo flight from Entebbe to Johannesburg, South Africa.
The seven-month-old aircraft, registered as 5X-NIL, took off from Entebbe International Airport (EBB) with a limited number of passengers at 11:56 local time on Wednesday.
According to the Airline, they are later planning to operate their new aircrafts to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia- in particular London, Dubai, and Guangzhou. In fact, earlier this year, it secured early morning landing slots at London Heathrow.
Once the airline gains certification for the jets, it will be a complete game-changer in terms of route planning. The airline, which officially commenced operations in August 2019, has a fleet consisting only four CRJ-900 regional jets that have 20 lie-flat seats in business class, 28 seats in premium economy, and 210 in the main economy cabin.
Inside the aircraft, the Ugandan local foods are served as a means to promote the ‘Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) slogan, strategically meant to position and market Uganda’s potential as the Pearl of Africa.
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