Uganda Airlines is set to launch direct flights to Nigeria. This comes after Uganda and Nigeria strengthened their bilateral relationship and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to kick start direct flights between Entebbe and Lagos, as well as Abuja. The move comes after Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Gen Jeje Odongo, and Nigeria’s Minister for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, met in Kampala and held discussions that inked the new deal.
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The Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA), initially signed in 2002 and reviewed in 2005, has been revised to facilitate direct air connectivity between Uganda and Nigeria. This agreement has provided for reciprocal international commercial air transport services to be initiated.
In a statement, Minister Sirika highlighted Nigeria’ and their’s commitment to achieving socio-economic transformation and human capital development in Africa that will see Uganda Airlines in their airspace. He emphasized the Nigerian government’s commitment to bolster bilateral relations in key sector areas, including aviation, for the mutual benefit of both countries.
Gen Odongo expressed appreciation for Nigeria’s efforts to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in the transport sector and underscored the importance of air connectivity in enhancing bilateral trade between the two nations. He affirmed that the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs would provide the necessary political leadership to facilitate the implementation of the agreements reached during the meeting that will see Uganda Airlines launch direct flights to Nigeria.
The meeting also noted the need for technical cooperation and collaboration between the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) and the East African Civil Aviation Academy (EACAA), with the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority soliciting technical support from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Minister Sirika further said that air transportation remains the primary means of connecting the people of Africa including Uganda Airlines and enhancing trade and urged African nations to leverage the opportunity of the Single Africa Air Transport Market (SAATM) to attain the 2065 Africa Agenda.
