Uganda Airlines (UR, Entebbe) will commence operations on August 28 after having secured its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) from the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) on July 25.

The nascent state-owned national carrier was expected to start commercial operations this month following the arrival of its first aircraft - two CRJ900s - in April. However, delays in the constitution of the airline's governing board subsequently delayed the completion of the airline's AOC drive.

According to a statement issued by Minister of Works & Transport (MOWT), Monica Ntege, dated July 24, Uganda Airlines' board is headed by chairman Ahabwe Pereza with six other members named as Benon Kajuna (respresenting the MOWT), Godfrey Semugooma (representing the Ministry of Finance), Charles Hamya, Steven Zuwa, Rehema Mutazindwa, and Catherine Poran.

Commercial Director Jennifer Bamuturaki told NTV Uganda on Friday that the initial phase of operations will see flights from Entebbe to Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta, Dar es Salaam, and Mogadishu with Kilimanjaro, Bujumbura, and Mombasa to boot. Thereafter, the next phases will launch with the arrival of last two CRJ900s, due in September. Destinations include Kigali, Goma, Kinshasa N'Djili, Bangui as well as the Southern African cities of Lusaka, Harare International, and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo.

Two A330-800s are also due to deliver from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) by the end of 2020 in time for the launch of longhaul flights to Asia and Europe.

The revived airline is part of President Yoweri Museveni's plan to transform Entebbe into a regional hub handling 6.1 million passengers and 172,000 tonnes of cargo a year by 2033.

Phase 1 of the project, whose works were launched last year, will see the construction of a new international passenger terminal capable of handling 3 million passengers/annum, as well as a new cargo facility, that includes cold storage units, that can handle 100,000 tonnes of cargo a year.

The airports two runways, the 3,658 metre-long main track, 17/35, and the 2,400 metre-long 12/30, along with taxiways F, G and H will also be expanded and strengthened to accommodate widebody aircraft such as the B777-300(ER) and A340-600. Aprons 1, 2 and 4, will also be rehabilitated while a new one will be built to cater to cargo exclusively.