Uganda Airlines launches new London Gatwick-Entebbe route

Uganda Airlines expanded its international route network by launching its first-ever direct nonstop flights from Entebbe (EBB) to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) on May 18, 2025.

The route is served by Uganda Airlines’ Airbus A330-800 widebody aircraft, making Gatwick one of the few airports worldwide to welcome this rare aircraft type. In fact, the Ugandan carrier will be the first airline to operate the A330-800 at Gatwick.

The announcement of this new European route comes amid increasing trade and tourism ties between Uganda and the United Kingdom.

In its announcement, Uganda Airlines stated that improved connectivity between the two countries will help strengthen bilateral trade, tourism, and investment ties. In 2023, the total trade between the UK and Uganda reached £860 million ($1.1 billion).

Four Weekly Flights

Uganda Airlines Airbus A330-800Photo: Uganda Airlines

The airline’s inaugural flight from its hub at Entebbe International Airport (EBB) to London’s second-busiest airport, Gatwick (LGW), departed at 9:25 AM local time and will arrive at 4:55 PM UK time. Uganda Airlines plans four weekly flights between the two destinations on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, with same-day return flights. The first flight is en route to London at the time of publication (see below).

Covering a distance of 3,479 nautical miles (6,443 km), the journey will take more than nine hours and will become the world’s longest Airbus A330-800 flight by duration, although it ranks second by distance. The longest A330-800 flight by distance is between Kuwait and Guangzhou, China, covering 3,496 nautical miles (6,475 km).

Prior to this direct service, travelers between Entebbe and London typically faced multiple stopovers, with total travel times ranging from 14 to 20 hours. Commenting on the launch, Uganda Airlines CEO Jenifer Bamuturaki said:

“This new route connects Uganda to one of the world’s busiest and most strategic aviation hubs. On the return leg, flight times are carefully synchronized to ensure smooth connections across our growing African network – linking passengers from London to key destinations in East, Central, and West Africa.”

Uganda Airlines will make history as the first airline in the world to operate the Airbus A330-800 widebody aircraft into Gatwick Airport. This long-haul widebody is among the newest and rarest planes in service today. According to ch-aviation data, only eight A330-800s are currently active worldwide.

While Airbus has one A330-800, three carriers fly just seven examples: Air Greenland (one aircraft) and Kuwait Airways (four), and Uganda Airlines (two aircraft). Capable of covering distances as long as 8,100 nautical miles (15,000 km), Uganda’s Airbus A330-800s can seat up to 258 passengers in a three-class cabin layout: 20 in business class, 28 in premium economy, and 210 in economy class. The two of them average just 4.5 years in age.

Gabriel Semelas, President of Airbus Africa & Middle East, praised Uganda Airlines for this significant milestone, saying it is an honor for Airbus to support the launch of the airline’s inaugural direct Entebbe to London route with the Airbus A330-800. He highlighted that this achievement demonstrates how the A330neo offers superior quality, efficiency, and operational reliability, while greatly enhancing East Africa’s global connectivity.

To move towards profitability, Uganda Airlines has focused on increasing revenue and reducing costs. The airline has expanded its route network, launching a new European route alongside the recent addition of three intra-African destinations: Abuja (ABV), Nigeria; Lusaka (LUN), Zambia; and Harare (HRE), Zimbabwe.

SOURCE:  https://www.businesstravelnewseurope.com/Air-Travel/Uganda-Airlines-launches-new-London-Gatwick-Entebbe-route