Uganda Airlines is poised to be the first African carrier to own an Airbus A330-800 when two planes on order are delivered later this year.

The long haul planes that cost $260 million (Sh28 billion) apiece will join the initial fleet of four medium-haul CRJ 900 jets.

This was revealed by the airline’s Chief Executive Cornell Muleya in Nairobi during the resumption of flights from Entebbe to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Thursday.

Mr Mulaya said the airline had identified London, Dubai, Guangzhou and Mumbai  for international flights outside Africa once the new planes are delivered.

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“We are back to the skies with big plans in the wake of Covid-19 disruptions and closure of our Entebbe hub that has lasted seven months. We are back in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Mogadishu and Juba with phase two on course for Mombasa, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar and Bujumbura,” he said.

Kenya Civil Aviation Authority Director General Captain Gilbert Kibe urged African states to do more business among themselves to boost the airlines hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We can only prosper better and help our airlines fly higher through increased intra Africa business," citing the big volume of trade between Kenya and Uganda as a good example.