Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced the plan to revive the East African national airline following more than 20 years of operating without it after terming lack of national airline as ‘a big shame’ and criticized Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa for ditching the comradeship and instead exploiting Ugandans reports the Daily Monitor.
President Museveni asked the new Minister for Works and Transport to finalize negotiations with investors and to proceed with the rebuilding of the national airline with urgency. The President was addressing the newly sworn in cabinet for the first time yesterday.
“Ugandan travellers are suffering because of, apparently, not having a national airline,” Mr Museveni said
Uganda Airlines was established by the Idi Amin government in 1976 but was liquidated in 2001 over heavy debts amounting to 6 million dollars, reduced from 12 million dollars.
Museveni asked the ne minister to encourage the setting up of the national airline in the next five years. … adding that the national airline would help save $420m annually that Ugandans spend on travel.
According to the former transport minister Stephen Chebrot the Ugandan government is looking at injecting at least 300 million dollars into the revival.
A number of stakeholders blamed government for deliberately killing the airline back then.
