Uganda Airlines Marks Remarkable Milestone with London Touchdown

Uganda Airlines will be among the vital infrastructure for the country to achieve the tenfold growth in 2040, a justification for the government to continue investing in it.

Ramathan Ggoobi, the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, says this will also involve investing in more direct flights between Entebbe and London.

Congratulating Uganda Airlines on the launch of direct flights to London Gatwick on Sunday, Ggoobi added that the direct flight to London will make it cost-effective for tourists coming to Uganda and for exporters of our goods to the United Kingdom and Europe. “Our investors will find it cost-effective and our partnership with the UK will be deepened,” he said.

UK High Commissioner Lisa J Chesney said there wasn’t a better time to launch this direct flight to London than now, when both Uganda and the UK are more focused on promoting trade, tourism, and investment between them. The company echoed that the new route would strengthen bilateral trade, tourism, and investment links.

The long-awaited introduction of the route marks a major milestone in the national carrier’s international expansion strategy and reinforcing growing connectivity between Uganda and the United Kingdom. It comes just after the launch of three regional routes: Abuja, Lusaka, and Harare, in the second half of 2024, which are described as key points to feed the hub in Entebbe.

The inaugural flight departed Entebbe at 09:25 AM local time on May 18, 2025, scheduled to arrive at Gatwick at 4:55 PM local time. This was the first scheduled direct flight between Entebbe and London following the exit of British Airways in 2015.

The nonstop service will operate four times weekly: Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, with same day return departures from London. “The route is operated by Uganda Airlines’ state-of-the-art Airbus A330-800neo, offering long-haul comfort, fuel efficiency, and an elevated passenger experience,” boasted Uganda Airlines in a statement.

Jennifer Bamuturaki, the Chief Executive Officer, said that the UK return leg is also designed to ease connections with the regional destination passengers, one of the ways to maintain “one of the world’s busiest and most strategic” aviation hubs. “On the return leg, flight times are carefully synchronized to ensure smooth connections across our growing African network linking passengers from London to key destinations in East, Central, and West Africa,” she said.

The launch comes amid growing trade and tourism ties between Uganda and the UK. According to data from the British High Commission in Kampala, total trade between the two countries reached 860 million British Pounds in 2023, while Uganda’s cumulative exports to the UK over the past five years amounted to 2.3 billion.

Minister of Works and Transport, Gen. Katumba Wamala, added, “This is more than a flight, it is a bridge for business, investment, and people-to-people connections,” adding that one aim of the direct flight was to cut travel time. “When His Excellency President Yoweri Museveni championed the revival of Uganda Airlines in 2015, his vision was to create direct air links that reduce travel time, and today’s launch brings that vision closer to full realisation,” Wamala said.

He was upbeat that apart from easing travel, the development was bound to boost tourism between the UK and Uganda, as well as eliminating layovers to support fast exportation of goods. “This is a win for exporters, importers, and travelers alike, and a driver of growth for our economy.”

Uganda Airlines also prided itself as the first carrier to operate the Airbus A330-800neo into London Gatwick, “and even prouder that this flight symbolises our commitment to sustainable aviation.” Uganda Airlines also plans that among the key performance indicators will be that the flights will turn around within 1.5 hours of landing at Gatwick. The flight UGD110 also had 15 tonnes of fresh produce cargo, mostly vegetables.