Uganda Airlines has moved to establish full control of ground handling services at its hub, Entebbe international airport. The national airline has reportedly spent USD 5 Million on equipment in preparation for ground handling operations
According to state owned media, a team led by the country’s minister of transport Katumba Wamala along with Airline representatives have told the parliament’s physical infrastructure committee that an additional sum of USD 13 Million will be required for the Airline’s full take-over of ground handling operations at the Entebbe hub
The Uganda government views its ground-handling plans as both a cost cutting measure and another way for the airline to make money. It is expected that taking control of this key part of the airline’s value chain will help drive efficiencies in the Airline’s operations after a year in which global airlines made record losses due to the pandemic and an industry recovery still looks uncertain
Entebbe international airport received 1.9 million passengers in 2019 after close to a decade of consistent growth and had reached its 2 million passenger capacity before the corona crisis set back global travel
The airport’s ground handling services are currently operated by DAS Handling limited, Fresh handling limited and NAS(National Aviation Services)
