Uganda’s overhauled national carrier, Victoria International Airlines (VIA), has been accepted by Kenyan and South African air transport supervisory body to fly to Nairobi and Johannesburg.

Victoria’s will see an additional 13 flights a week between Entebbe and Nairobi.

Together with Kenya Airways’ 27 flights, voyagers will now have a choice of six departures out of Entebbe five days a week, although this will mainly apply to passengers ending their voyage in Nairobi.

The approval of this Ugandan carrier’s application comes alongside the unalterable denial of landing rights to Ethiopian Airlines, which in June applied to maneuver a single daily flight to Nairobi out of Entebbe.

In a speech, VIA‘s commercial manager Declan Peppard applauded that it was easy for them to get approvals because they were a national carrier that did not defy the status quo by demanding that Kenya Airways pullout any of its services.

The Ugandan government owns 25% equity in VIA , with the rest of the stock being held by South African and Swiss investors.

As far as its schedule that was released last week is concerned, the carrier will also be flying four times a week to Juba in Southern Sudan and thrice a week to Johannesburg.

Apart from Monday, when neither South African Airways nor Victoria flies out of Entebbe, there will be the opportunity of a direct flight to Johannesburg 6 days a week.

The flights to Juba have been positioned to tap into traffic from Nairobi to Southern Sudan as they are a continuation of the morning return leg from Nairobi.

Further more Mr Peppard said that same-day return journeys will be possible for business people with the return flight departing Juba at 5.10 pm.

Victoria is competing directly on pricing with an economy class return ticket to Nairobi that costs $138 return, Juba $278and Johannesburg $338, fares Mr Peppard said are not just promotional but will remain in place.

Since the liquidation of Uganda Airlines in 2001, Uganda has not had a national airline. Several local or partly locally-owned airlines such as Alliance Air, Africa-One and East African Airlines have tried but failed to fill the domestic carrier vacuum over the past couple of years. This validation of VIA was necessary and once it stabilities, it will lead to development of the tourism industry.

By Tanah Hadijah


Uganda Travel News