Uganda Airlines has acquired a new Airbus A320 aircraft to add to its fleet.
The 160-seat aircraft is configured with a 12-seat business class and a spacious 138-seat economy class.
Uganda Airlines said the new aircraft has been acquired on wet lease arrangement for six months from Global Airlines to augment its operations.
A wet lease is an arrangement whereby one airline (the lessor) provides an aircraft, complete crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI) to another airline or other type of business acting as a broker of air travel (the lessee), which pays by hours operated.
According to the national carrier, the aircraft’s arrival will go a long way towards its efforts to bridge the capacity gap between its existing CRJ900LRs and Airbus A330Neo wide bodies.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Airbus A320 to our fleet. This aircraft will enable us to increase capacity on key routes, improve our passengers’ travel experience, and expand our route network,” Uganda Airlines CEO, Jeniffer Bamuturaki said.
“We will put this aircraft on routes where we are using the CRJ and are having volume and weight challenges. We hope to see an increase and improvement in our numbers, especially on routes like Johannesburg, where we are currently restricting baggage weight and number of bags you can carry.”
The new aircraft is set to be deployed on the Johannesburg route.
Returning to the air in 2019, Uganda Airlines flies in a number of African cities including Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Bujumbura, Mogadishu, Kilimanjaro, Mombasa, Juba and Lagos among others.
The national carrier also operates flights to Dubai and Mumbai with many other routes in the pipeline.
Uganda Airlines currently operates four Bombadier CRJs , two Airbus A330Neo and now the Airbus A320.
