Uganda Airlines (UR, Entebbe/Kampala) is looking at routing via an intermediate airport for a summer 2023 launch of its long-delayed London Heathrow route, thereby bypassing regulatory compliance issues preventing it from flying directly from Entebbe/Kampala.
This was confirmed to ch-aviation by Chief Executive Officer Jenifer Bamuturaki. She was commenting on a report in The EastAfrican newspaper, in which she said the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) had suggested Uganda Airlines operate through alternative gateways with UK security clearance following delays in a security audit of Entebbe International Airport.
"In principle, we have two options – to wait until Entebbe International Airport has gone through a security audit by the UK CAA so that we can fly direct from there, or go through a third country whose airport already has the necessary clearances," she told The EastAfrican. Airports in Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey were suggested as alternatives.
According to Bamuturaki, Uganda Airlines may have to wait up to two years for the UK CAA to complete its security vetting of Entebbe International Airport.
At its last audit under the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Universal Security Audit Programme (USAP) in 2017, Entebbe scored 81.8%, considerably better than the global average of 72%. However, the airport was last audited under ICAO’s Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) in July 2014. A scheduled audit in 2020 was postponed due to Covid-19. Another ICAO audit is now scheduled for October 2023. The UK CAA apparently wanted this brought forward, but the Uganda CAA declined the request, reasoning that ICAO audit slots are pre-booked and would be challenging to shift.
Bamuturaki told The EastAfrican, "at the airline level, we are cleared". A year ago, she told ch-aviation the airline’s plans for flights to London had also been hamstrung by regulatory delays with the issuance of a UK Third Country Operator (TCO) approval resulting from Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the UK regulator had provided a checklist of requirements, 80% of which were not the airline’s domain but that of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, the Minister of Works and Transport, and the Ministry of Justice.
Uganda Airlines’ has wanted to launch flights to London since its inception, but its two A330-800N widebodies were only certified by the Uganda CAA in August 2021.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority subsequently told ch-aviation it had not been approached by the airline. "The UK Civil Aviation Authority does not conduct audits of airports – this is done by the individual government departments in charge of transport security," a spokesperson said.
Editorial Comment: Added UK CAA comment. – 09.01.2023 – 16:40 UTC
Uganda Airlines (UR, Entebbe/Kampala) has reportedly underperformed by UGX207 billion shillings (USD56.3 million) and is struggling to sustain its services, according to the December 2022 dated Ugandan Auditor-General Report for the Financial Year ended June 2022.
Auditor-General John Muwanga handed the report to Parliamentary Speaker Anita Among on January 19, 2023. “As mandated, Parliament will study, analyse and scrutinise these reports to ensure all public funds serve the intended purposes. I will task the relevant committees to handle the audit queries expeditiously and report to the House for debate,” Among promised on social media.
NTV reported excerpts on Uganda Airlines revealed the state-owned airline was projected to make UGX348 billion (USD94.6 million) in the FY 2021/22 but collected only UGX141 billion (USD38.3 million). It said the report further indicated that UGX22.8 billion (USD6.2 million) collected in airport taxes from passengers through Entebbe/Kampala remained unremitted to the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority for over two years.
Uganda Airlines Chief Executive Officer Jenifer Batumaraki was not immediately available for comment.
The Auditor-General’s report unearthed a…
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Former Uganda Airlines (UR, Entebbe/Kampala) chief executive Cornwell Muleya has been acquitted of a charge of disobedience relating to his failure to appear in person before the country’s Inspectorate General of Government (IGG) to testify on the mismanagement of public funds at the state-owned airline, according to local media reports.
The Buganda Road Magistrates court in Kampala on October 31 found that his failure to appear before the IGG was excusable. “Having examined the evidence on record as a whole and subjected it to a thorough and exhaustive scrutiny, I find that Muleya’s failure to appear before IGG was excusable,” the magistrate ruled.
Muleya was arrested in June after he failed to respond to a May 23, 2022, summons by the IGG to appear and present documents regarding the alleged mismanagement of public funds, irregular procurements and staff recruitment at Uganda Airlines during his tenure.
Muleya denied the charges and explained that he had been out of the country at the time the summons were served. He presented travel documents and medical forms to support his…
Former Uganda Airlines (UR, Entebbe/Kampala) Chief Executive Officer Cornwell Muleya has been ordered to stand trial in a Kampala magistrate’s court on October 7, 2022, on charges involving the mismanagement of public funds.
The Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court found that Muleya had disobeyed a lawful order of the Inspectorate of Government (IG) to appear before it on May 23, 2022, to present documents and answer questions regarding the allegations against him.
Consequently, magistrate Asuman Muhumuza found a prima facie case against Muleya, necessitating him to defend himself. “Accordingly, this court finds that the accused has a case to answer and orders him to prepare his defence.”
The magistrate denied a request by Muleya for bail and to have his passport released to allow him to travel to Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone on October 15, 2022, to look for employment. Still, he promised the accused an expedited hearing.
Muleya was arrested on June 22, 2022, after he disobeyed orders by the IG to provide documents regarding the mismanagement of public funds, procurements,…
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