KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda Airlines is poised to make history next month with its inaugural direct flights to Europe, and the anticipation is already yielding significant success.
The national carrier has secured over 500 bookings for its London Gatwick route, which is scheduled to launch on May 18, with flights operating four times a week between Entebbe International Airport and London Gatwick.
Bookings have been confirmed well into December 2025 and even extending into 2026, a promising indication of the airline’s growing influence on international travel.
“We have had over 500 bookings ticketed from the time we announced the route to now,” said Jenifer Bamuturaki, CEO of Uganda Airlines. “London is a very mature market; Europe is a mature market. We have bookings that go as far down as December 2025; we even have 2026 bookings.”
Bamuturaki attributed part of this success to recent negative publicity surrounding the route announcement. Last month, unverified reports suggested that the British Government had cancelled Uganda Airlines’ Gatwick clearance due to Uganda’s human rights record.
“Interestingly, the bad publicity has played in our favor,” Bamuturaki said. “When people saw the false reports, they became curious and booked the flight to see if the claims were true.”
A significant portion of the bookings are for return flights from London to Entebbe, with many passengers securing tickets through credit card transactions that have already been processed.
The launch of the London route represents a transformative moment for Uganda Airlines as it expands into long-haul operations. Bamuturaki emphasized the importance of continuous improvement to ensure the success of the new route.
“We have to do things differently,” she said. “We have to make transit much easier; there are many things that must change.”
Despite the challenges, Bamuturaki expressed confidence that the London-Gatwick route would be a key driver in Uganda Airlines’ long-term growth and sustainability, strengthening its position on the global aviation map.
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