In recent years, we’ve seen Uganda relaunch its national airline, in the form of Uganda Airlines. The airline has a modern fleet of Airbus A330-800neos and Bombardier CRJ-900s, though unsurprisingly, profitability has been a bit of an issue. But perhaps an even bigger issue than profitability is reliability, as both of the carrier’s wide body planes have now been grounded for weeks.
Uganda Airlines has major Airbus A330-800neo issues
Uganda Airlines has two Airbus A330-800neos, which are an average of around five years old. However, both planes are currently parked:
The situation was bad enough in January, when the airline had to adjust its network due to one plane not being in service. However, to see both planes not in service takes the issues to the next level. On February 20, 2026, the airline put out a notice indicating that it had suspended all long haul operations. As the airline explained:
Uganda Airlines wishes to inform our esteemed guests that two of our long-haul aircraft are temporarily out of service due to unscheduled maintenance. We understand that this may cause concern and inconvenience, and we want to assure all affected passengers that their safety and comfort remain our highest priority.
Of course unscheduled maintenance is sometimes required, but to have both long haul aircraft in a fleet grounded at the same time is pretty bad. Uganda Airlines has been flying its A330neos from Entebbe (EBB) to Dubai (DXB), London Gatwick (LGW), and Mumbai (BOM). I guess at least the timing is good in terms of Dubai service likely being suspended anyway?
One certainly has to wonder what went wrong that caused two long haul aircraft to require extended, unscheduled maintenance, just weeks apart. It’s all very strange, eh?
For what it’s worth — perhaps related, or maybe not — Uganda Airlines has been hemorrhaging money since launching. The airline has accumulated losses of over $250 million since commencing operations, and has lost a staggering $67 million in the last financial year. That’s a massive amount, given how small the airline is. The company is basically losing $10 million per plane per year. It’s simply horrible, especially when you consider most planes are CRJ-900s.
Uganda Airlines will now lease Ethiopian Airlines 787
With both Uganda Airlines long haul aircraft grounded, the airline is now finding a new way to maintain long haul operations. Specifically, the company will be leasing one Boeing 787-8 from Ethiopian Airlines, which will be used to operate 3x weekly London flights, and 2x weekly Mumbai flights, effective immediately. Here’s how the airline described this, in a statement:
Uganda Airlines has partnered with Ethiopian Airlines to wet lease a Boeing 787 aircraft for its long-haul passenger services, effective today; 7th March 2026.
This short-term arrangement ensures operational continuity on the airline’s long-haul routes while enhancing network reliability and service delivery for our valued passengers.
I suspect that what’s going on here is that London Gatwick has a “use it or lose it” provision for slots, so the airline doesn’t want to suspend London flights for that long, or else it could lose the ability to serve the airport.
It’s good to see the airline making plans for its long haul service, though all of this can’t be great for the company’s bottom line. I mean, the airline is obviously losing a ton of money on long haul flying, so to not only have two long haul planes out of service, but to also lease an additional plane to operate a money losing route, isn’t exactly great.
Bottom line
Both Uganda Airlines Airbus A330-800neos are grounded due to “unscheduled maintenance,” which is less than ideal when you only have two long haul aircraft. While the airline has suspended flights to destinations like London and Mumbai, that will soon be changing, as the company has decided to lease a Boeing 787-8 from Ethiopian Airlines, so that it can operate some of these services.
One certainly wonders how much longer these A330neos will be grounded, and what exactly caused this in the first place…
What do you make of this Uganda Airlines A330neo grounding?