Uganda Airlines has welcomed a 160-seater Airbus A320 to its fleet, configured with a 12-seat Business Class and a spacious 138-seat Economy Class.
The former South African Lift Airlines Airbus A320-231 aircraft (ZS-GAR, built-in 1989) becomes a part of the Uganda Airlines fleet, effective today, according to FlightAware, a website that provides accurate real-time, historical and predictive flight insights to all segments of the aviation industry.
“Welcome aboard the Airbus A320, The aircraft is a 160-seater, with a two-class cabin featuring 12 business class and 138 economy seats on wet lease for 6 months from Global Airlines to augment our operations,” Uganda Airlines confirmed in a statement on X.
The national carrier acquired the aircraft on a short-term lease agreement with Global Airlines based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
According to the national broadcaster, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, the aircraft comes with its pilots and cabin crew and will support Uganda Airlines in maintaining schedule integrity during the period when part of the regional fleet undergoes scheduled maintenance.
This lease, according to UBC, would also help to resolve operational challenges on routes like Johannesburg and Kinshasa, where we have been unable to operate efficiently due to capacity limitations and augment operations on services to Nairobi and Lagos.
“We are delighted to announce this partnership with Global Airlines, which will support our operations at a critical juncture in our development. We have seen significant growth in demand on a number of our routes, which has introduced certain pressures on our operations,” Uganda Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Jenifer Bamuturaki, is quoted by UBC as saying.
She added: “Leasing this A320 is intended to ensure that our customers continue to enjoy the unparalleled service that we have become known for and add flexibility to our operations.”
Uganda Airlines is the flag carrier of Uganda. The company is a revival of the older Uganda Airlines which operated from 1977 until 2001. The current carrier began flying in August 2019.
The first six aircraft were procured new from Airbus in Europe and Bombardier Aerospace in Canada.