Uganda has received two bombardier CRJ900 jets
as part of its plan to revive national carrier Uganda Airlines, which
was grounded almost two decades ago.
The
two aircraft touched down at the Entebbe International Airport at
9.55am (0655GMT) on Tuesday morning, with President Yoweri Museveni
gracing the ceremony.
The event, marked by ululations, chants and dances, signals the official revival of Uganda Airlines that was liquidated in 2001.
Before landing, the jets first circled the airport.
President Museveni officially received the planes at 9.57am (0657GMT) after a welcoming water cannon salute.
The two CRJs have registration numbers 5x-KOB and 5x-EQU with the words Uganda Airlines embellished on the sides.
Also present at the ceremony included Works
and Transport Minister, Monica Azuba Ntege, Uganda National Roads boss
Allen Kagina among other dignitaries.
The Bombardier CRJ900 hit the skies for the first test flight at Montreal Mirabel International Airport, Canada recently.
An 8-minute video clip uploaded on YouTube shows the test flight. The video triggered greater excitement among many Ugandans.
With
its pilots further trained in Canada by the manufacturers, the pair
flew out of Montreal on Friday passing through northern Canada.
They
then headed to Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, before making their
way to Maastricht in the Southeastern Netherlands. They would then
connect to Cairo, Egypt from where they headed straight to Entebbe.
Revived airline
Last
year, Uganda ordered for four CRJ900 regional jets as part of the
much-anticipated plan for the revival of the national carrier.
The revived airline will be the first carrier to operate the new CRJ-series atmosphere cabin in Africa.
The
cabin design allows passengers to carry and store an "oversized" roller
bag within the aircraft cabin bins, which minimises the need to check
bags at the counter or the gate.
The Ugandan government
paid Ush280 billion ($74.8 million) for the two planes through a
supplementary budget approval by Parliament.
The
Uganda National Airlines Company will operate the CRJ900 in dual-class
configuration with 76 economy seats and 12 first class seats.
According
to the manufacturer, the new model atmosphere cabin sets new standards
of passenger experience in the regional jet market segment.
Key
features of the new interior comprise of larger passenger living space,
wheel-first roller bag capability, more spacious lavatory, increased
cabin connectivity options, all integrated into a contemporary design
and material choices.
The first Bombardier was supposed to be delivered last month. But there were changes in the programme.
The initial plan was that the manufacturer would deliver a jet per month starting January.
The
revival of the national carrier has divided opinions with some
government technocrats, including some at the Central Bank opposing it.
However, the government maintained it needed a carrier to promote tourism and ensure national pride.
—Additional reporting by URN
No comments :
Post a Comment