01/08/09, 03:31:02 UTC

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Uganda plans for new airline

eastandard.net

Uganda will soon have a new national carrier to ply the East African routes.

The regional air routes are currently dominated by Kenya’s national flag carrier, Kenya Airways, and its sister Tanzania carrier, Precision Air.

Ugandan president, Mr Yoweri Museveni, says the new airline will bring in competition to edge out those that are currently plying the region’s routes.

To be set up with the aid of the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, The Aga Khan, the new airline, will bring competition to the region’s aviation industry, said Museveni.

He said the move is likely to make Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport even more competitive in the region.

He described the airlines in these routes as "burlish, arrogant and expensive" simply because Uganda has no airline of its own.

"They are fond of frustrating us simply because ours is mlambo (a corpse)," said Museveni.

Museveni said he was forced to bury the defunct Ugandan national airline after it died, adding that it is against his culture to maintain dead things. Uganda Airlines collapsed in 2000.

"It does not matter how much you love something, when it is dead, it is dead and you burry it. Even my mother I loved her so much but I buried her when she died," he said.

The monopoly, Museveni said, had pushed the costs of flying on these airlines way above the roof especially when flying around Africa.

For instance it costs about US$400 to fly return from Entebbe to Nairobi, only an hour away. "This needs to be improved. We can’t wait for the competition to come in. I don’t mind leaving the ‘Fying Blue programme behind," a Ugandan national told The Standard in an interview.

"Just that we buried Ugandan Airlines, they (competitors) thought they will dominate forever. Now Aga Khan has said he will give us an airline and so they will not dominate forever," said Museveni.

Museveni was speaking in Uganda during the foundation stone laying of the Bujagali Hydro Electric Power Station in Jinja, Uganda, last week.

Referring indirectly to Kenya Airways, Museveni said airlines plying Entebbe route are fond of mistreating Ugandans. "Some airlines are operating at ungodly hours and at times they put us on their flights as early as 5am. What time do you wake up in this case, midnight?" posed Museveni amidst applause.

Kenya Airways has flights that depart Entebbe International Airport at 5am to Nairobi, which means that passengers have to check in at the airport at about 3am.

 Printable Version  | published Aug 26, 2007