Uganda Airlines: second A330 late because of internet shutdown
The recent Internet shutdown outside the presidential elections in Uganda has not only tainted the electoral game. The national carrier Uganda Airlines was also victim. Result: the delivery of its 2nd A330neo suffered a date slippage.
The arrival of the second Airbus A330-800neo from Uganda Airlines was initially scheduled for Monday January 25, but it is finally on February 2 that the Ugandan national company will take delivery of its brand new aircraft (5N-CRN, Mount Rwenzori). slight delay in the reception was caused by "communication problems" resulting from the cut of the Internet for five days in the country, on the sidelines of the presidential elections of January 14.
This is what Waisswa Bageya, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Works and Transport, said. “We postponed the dates due to some communication problems, which were caused by Internet shutdown,”Mr Bageya told the Daily Monitor on Monday. Powered by the latest Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines and featuring a new wing with increased wingspan and A350-inspired Sharklets, the Uganda Airlines A330neo can accommodate up to 258 passengers in a 20-seat class configuration. Business, 28 in Premium Economy class and 210 seats in Economy class.
The first airplane was received on December 22. These airplane, which offer 25% less fuel per seat, will allow the carrier to build its long-haul network. In this segment, the company is eyeing Dubai, London Guangzhou and Mumbai. As a reminder, Uganda Airlines, which started its commercial operations in August 2019, currently operates a homogeneous fleet of four Bombardier CRJ-900s.
Its growing network includes Nairobi, Mombasa, Mogadishu, Dar Es Salam, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, Bujumbura, Kinshasa and Juba. Flights to Lusaka and Johannesburg are expected in the coming months. Services to Khartoum, Asmara, Addis Ababa and Cairo are also being considered.
The arrival of Uganda Airlines' second Airbus A330-800neo was initially scheduled for Monday, January 25, but the Ugandan national carrier will finally take delivery of its brand new aircraft (5N-CRN, Mount Rwenzori) on February 2.
The slight delay in the reception was caused by "communication problems" resulting from the cut of the Internet for five days in the country, on the sidelines of the presidential elections of January 14. This is what Waisswa Bageya, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Works and Transport, reported.
"We have postponed the dates [from January 25 to February 2] due to some communication problems, which were caused by the Internet shutdown," Bageya told the Daily Monitor on Monday.
Powered by the latest Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines and featuring a new wing with increased wingspan and A350-inspired Sharklets, the Uganda Airlines A330neo can accommodate up to 258 passengers in a 20-seat class configuration. Business, 28 in Premium Economy class and 210 seats in Economy class. The first copy was received on December 22.
These devices, which offer 25% less fuel per seat, will allow the carrier to build its long-haul network.
In this segment, the company is eyeing Dubai, London Guangzhou and Mumbai.
As a reminder, Uganda Airlines, which started its commercial operations in August 2019, currently operates a homogeneous fleet of four Bombardier CRJ-900s. Its growing network includes Nairobi, Mombasa, Mogadishu, Dar Es Salam, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, Bujumbura, Kinshasa and Juba. Flights to Lusaka and Johannesburg are expected in the coming months. Services to Khartoum, Asmara, Addis Ababa and Cairo are also being considered.
