See another airline seeking to compete with Air Peace on the London route

• Nigeria’s airline, Air Peace, is to compete with another African airline, Ugandan Airlines, on the busy London Gatwick Airport
• The Ugandan Airlines is set to commence direct flights to the Gatwick Airport in December after securing slots
• The airline initially secured slots at Heathrow Airport, which is yet to be cleared by aviation authorities

Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment, and the economy for over a decade.

Ugandan Airlines, which recently commenced direct flights to Nigeria, is setting the stage for an important expansion in the next five years.

As part of its growth strategy, the airline has launched new international flights to London Gatwick Airport by the end of 2024.

The cabin crews of Ugandan Airlines and Air Peace set to slug it out on London routes Credit: Airliner
Source: Getty Images

Air Peace gets rival at Gatwick Airport

Securing slots at London’s main airports has been a challenge for many African airlines, including Air Peace, which commenced flights on the Lagos-London route on March 30 this year.

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The development is due to high demand and limited slots on the London route.

According to reports, after failing to secure slots at the busy Heathrow airport, the airline has successfully acquired slots at the London Gatwick Airport, the same as Nigeria’s airliner, Air Peace.

Ugandan Airlines secured the slot after completing the ICAO safety audits.

In June of this year, the airline, led by its CEO, Jenifer Bamaturaki, traveled to the United Kingdom for meetings with UK aviation regulators, the business community, and the Diaspora Ugandans.

Ugandan misses slots at Heathrow Airport

The airline initially secured slots for London Heathrow Airport after it received two Airbus A330-800 Neo aircraft four years ago in February 2021.

However, due to a lack of updated certification status, the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority and the European Aviation Safety Agency have yet to clear the airline for flights.

The airline is reportedly modernizing its fleet apart from expanding its route network.

Ugandan Airlines’s fleet includes CRJ900LRs and two Airbus A330-800.

Uganda Airlines commences flights to Nigeria

It also has wet-leased an Airbus A320-200 from South Africa’s Global Airways to payload limitations on some of its aircraft.

The wet-leased 320 is set to commence flights to Johannesburg, pending approvals, and a new Lagos, Nairobi, and Kinshasa routes.

This expansion shows the airline's strategic plan to increase its market share and operational capability across Africa.

Nigerian airlines increase airfares

The development comes as Nigerian airlines hiked airfares to meet operational challenges.

A previous report by Legit.ng disclosed that touts' activities in Nigerian airports had increased ticket prices as airline staffers and touts engaged in racketeering.

Ugandan Airlines begin direct flights to Abuja

Legit.ng earlier reported that the Ugandan government is seeking increased business interactions with Nigeria as it assures Uganda Airlines will add Abuja to its routes.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed the development on its official X page.

The ministry revealed that the agreement was reached when Ugandan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Nelson Ocheger, met with Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, to discuss trade and commerce promotions between the two countries.

Source: Legit.ng