Uganda Airlines Company Ltd collected at least UGSHS. 40 billion from its operations in 2020, according to the company’s CEO Mr. Cornwell Muleya.
Appearing before the Parliamentary Physical Infrastructure oversight committee , Muleya reported that the revived Airline carried 77,355 passengers even if it was short by 10 per cent from its target of 85,760 passengers.
Accordingly , the projected revenue of 31.5 billion Shillings was not attained, and instead, the airline collected UGSHS .25.2 billion Shillings plus an additional UGSHS.14.8 billion Shillings from 26,394 passengers after resuming operations following the lock down due to Covid 19 pandemic bringing the total revenue for the year to UGSHS. 40BN by end of December 2020.
“Before the effects of COVID-19 started in January 2020, there was a positive trend between passenger numbers, load factors, and passenger revenues. COVID-19 effects had started worsening the performance trends before Airspace closure came into effect,” Muleya said. Uganda Airlines resumed operations in October 2020.
The CEO explained that the airline’s four Bombardier CRJ 900 Aircrafts carrying 76 passengers each, had projected to operate all 18 regional destinations by the end of December 2020 if flights started in August. However ,having started operations in October, the airline only managed to operate nine destinations including a new one to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The other destinations are Bujumbura, Burundi, Nairobi and Mombasa in Kenya, Mogadishu in Somalia, Juba in South Sudan, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and Arusha in Tanzania. The Airline plans to start long haul routes to Guangzhou in China, London in the UK, Mumbai in India and Dubai in the United Arabs Emirates by March 2021.
Muleya also told the parliamentary committee that the airline has also accumulated funding arrears of UGSHS.89.5 billion.
Recently Uganda Airlines has added to its fleet two AIRBUS Airplanes with the capacity to carry 258 passengers each.
