Uganda Airlines has secured a temporary wide-body aircraft from Ethiopian Airlines as it moves to stabilize its disrupted long-haul network and safeguard valuable airport slots following the grounding of its Airbus A330 fleet.
The national carrier has arranged an Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI) lease for a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, registered ET-ASI, in a short-term deal designed to support international operations while the airline addresses maintenance issues affecting its own aircraft.
According to the Observer, an internal communication circulated within Uganda Airlines management says that the aircraft will be operated by a 43-member Ethiopian Airlines crew and will position to Entebbe under flight number UR601, using Uganda Airlines’ call sign “CRESTED.”
The arrangement will enable the airline to resume key long-haul services, particularly its route to London Gatwick Airport, which had been suspended after both of Uganda Airlines’ Airbus A330-800 aircraft were withdrawn from service due to maintenance issues.
Protecting Critical Airport Slots
The temporary solution comes amid mounting pressure on the airline to restore flights to London.
Under international aviation rules, airlines must use at least 80% of their allocated take-off and landing slots at congested airports or risk losing them, a principle widely known as the “use it or lose it” rule.
For a relatively young long-haul operator like Uganda Airlines, retaining slots at busy airports such as Gatwick is strategically critical. Losing them could allow competing carriers to claim the space, potentially complicating the airline’s ambitions to build a sustained intercontinental network.
The ACMI agreement, commonly referred to as a wet lease allows the airline to continue operations without deploying its own aircraft or crew. Under the arrangement, Ethiopian Airlines will provide the aircraft, flight and cabin crew, maintenance support and insurance while flights are operated under the Uganda Airlines brand.
Girma Wake Factor
Industry observers say the speed with which the solution was arranged reflects the close ties between the two carriers and the influence of newly appointed Uganda Airlines chief executive Girma Wake.
Wake, a former long-time leader of Ethiopian Airlines and widely credited with helping transform the Addis Ababa-based carrier into Africa’s most successful airline, maintains deep institutional relationships with the Ethiopian aviation ecosystem.
His appointment has already been interpreted by many in the industry as a signal that Uganda Airlines intends to draw more heavily on the operational experience and partnerships that helped build Ethiopian Airlines into a continental powerhouse.
For Uganda Airlines, the Ethiopian partnership offers something it urgently needs, a reliable operational bridge.
With its own long-haul fleet temporarily unavailable, the Dreamliner lease provides immediate capacity while ensuring that critical international routes, particularly London remain active.
Stabilising a Fragile Long-Haul Network
The disruption began on February 20 when Uganda Airlines announced that both of its Airbus A330-800 aircraft had been temporarily withdrawn from service, forcing the suspension of flights to London, Dubai and Mumbai.
Those aircraft represent the airline’s entire long-haul capability, making their grounding a significant operational setback.
The leased Boeing 787-8 will therefore serve as a stopgap measure while technical issues are addressed and the airline works to restore full operational reliability.
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