Uganda Airlines adds Harare and Lusaka to route network

September 27, 2024 in Business, Companies, Transport, Travel & Tourism by Editor

The tagged Harare-Lusaka service shrinks travel time and cost by eliminating transit hubs

Frequency is structured to serve needs of the business and leisure traveller

Flag carrier Uganda Airlines launched scheduled passenger services between its Entebbe hub and Harare and Lusaka, September 25, with officials touting the shortened journey times and potential contribution widening business and social linkages between the three countries.

Harare and Lusaka will be served four times a week with departures on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturday’s.

“We are happy to return to the capitals of Zambia and Zimbabwe, countries whose history and culture are closely linked to Uganda. These two destinations which expand options for travel between East Africa and Southern Africa demonstrate our commitment to increase travel options for Africans by providing safe affordable and reliable air transport services, to connect the continent” says Uganda Airlines Chief Executive Officer Ms Jenifer Bamuturaki.

The services will be operated using the carrier’s fleet of CRJ 900-LR aircraft, slashing journey times to a couple of hours, compared to previous transits which could last 24 hours.

“These flights have been positioned to serve the needs of both the person who may simply want to terminate their journeys in Uganda and others who might want to travel further within our network to Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Bujumbura, Dubai, Mogadishu, Mombasa, Mumbai, Lagos and Abuja, Juba or Kinshasa,” Ms Bamuturaki added.

UR 720 which will operate on Monday and Wednesday will depart Entebbe International Airport at 10:00 am East African Time on Mondays, arriving at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport Lusaka at 11:45 local time the same day. The same flight will later depart Lusaka for Harare at 12.30 pm arriving at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport at 1.30 pm.

The return flight will depart Harare at 2:15 pm local time, for a same-day arrival at Entebbe at 6:15 pm; in time for convenient onward connections to Nairobi, Mumbai, and Dubai.

On Wednesdays Flight UR 720 will depart Entebbe at 21:30, arriving in Lusaka at 23:15 the same day. UR 720 will then depart for Harare at one minute past midnight, arriving Robert Gabriel Mugabe International at 1.01 am. The return leg will depart Harare at 1:46 am, arriving in Entebbe at 5:46 am, in time for connections to Nairobi, Mogadishu and Kinshasa.

The order will change slightly on Thursday and Saturday with the flights first landing in Harare before continuing to Lusaka onward to Entebbe. Flight UR 722 will depart Entebbe at 14:00 hours on Thursday, arriving in Harare at 16:00 hours. It will then depart for Lusaka at 16:45, arriving at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport at 17:45 local time. UR 722 will depart Lusaka at 18:30 for a 22:15 arrival in Entebbe the same day.

On Saturdays UR 722 will depart Entebbe at 18:00 hours, arriving in Harare at 20:00. Departure for Lusaka will be at 20:45 arriving at 21:45. UR 722 will then depart Lusaka at 22:30, arriving in Entebbe at 02:15, in time for morning departures to Lagos and Mogadishu among others.

Lusaka and Harare bring to 16 the number of destinations served by Uganda Airlines and complete the initial route ramp-up ahead of further expansion beyond the African continent.