Uganda Airlines had its maiden flight on Tuesday.
The 55-minute flight departed from Entebbe Airport to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at noon with 74 technical officers, government officials, celebrities and journalists on board the bombardier CRJ900 jet.
The flight, piloted by Captain Michael Etyang was aimed at warming into the hearts of Ugandans and came a day before the first official commercial flight due Wednesday, the ministry of Works and Transport spokesperson Susan Kataike said.
And in order to keep it as Ugandan as it gets, the management of Uganda Airlines served the first customers local Ugandan dishes including Rolex and Katogo.
Rolex, a rolled chapati with eggs and vegetables was in June 2016, named by CNN as the fastest growing fast food in Africa. Since then, the Rolex festival was launched at the Uganda Museum on Aug. 21 with a Miss Busoga Tourism Beauty Queen and government officials falling over each other to promote it as a tourist attraction.
On the other hand, Katogo – a meal of matooke or cassava cooked with beef, offals, beans and groundnut paste or plain vegetables – is a traditional breakfast dish served in most regions of Uganda.
The same treat will be served to other passengers to Nairobi, Juba, Mogadishu and Dar-es Salaam with each flight. Other destinations will be Harare, Accra, Lusaka and Johannesburg.
“The wait is finally over. Today at exactly 11:10am, our aircraft shall depart from Entebbe International Airport to JKIA for our inaugural flight. We can’t wait to serve our guests some Rolex and Katogo.
So are you ready to #FlyUgandaAirlines? Then #LetsGo,” the national carrier posted on their social media pages.
According to a source, in keeping with the Buy Uganda, Build Uganda slogan, locally produced drinks, such as Uganda Waragi will be served to the passengers.
Do you have a story in your community or an opinion to share with us: Email us at editorial@watchdoguganda.com
