► UGANDA: Air Uganda eyes future regional, international expansion once East Africa is "conquered".

Air Uganda's (U7) CEO, Mr Cornwell Muleya, has outlined his ambitions for the airline which include plans to expand "beyond the East African market" once all opportunities in the region have been exhausted.

Boarding an Air Uganda CRJ200
in Entebbe (JSB)

The East African reports that Mr Muleya had mentioned Europe, the United Arab Emirates and Southern Africa as his planned markets adding that any future expansion plans will be guided by how various economies perform "on several fronts".

He added that talks with "partner airlines" in Zambia, South Africa and Zambia are ongoing with a view to "making appropriate connections."

He gave no time-line for the expansion.

No further mention, thus far at least, has been made by the Ugandan Government regarding its plans to either set up its own national carrier or to invest in Air Uganda as a means of fulfilling its own goals of establishing a national airline aimed at increasing domestic and regional connectivity under the framework of its "Uganda Vision 2040 National Development Plan".

Among Air Uganda's first ambitious steps are today's launch of 3x weekly flights from Entebbe to Mogadishu, Somalia. The Ugandan carrier, a member of Celestair and of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), also serves Nairobi, Juba, Dar es Salaam, Mombasa, Kigali, Bujumbura, and Kilimanjaro.

Air Uganda is a member of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) and has been in operation since November 2007.
The Airline’s current destinations are Nairobi, Juba, Dar es Salaam, Mombasa, Kigali, Bujumbura, and Kilimanjaro. The company will on June 8 launch the route to Mogadishu.

- See more at: http://www.independent.co.ug/business/business-news/7970-air-uganda-ceo-tips-on-expansion-plan#sthash.GvyKAU8P.dpuf