Saudi low-cost carrier Flynas has started flying to Uganda’s main airport, Entebbe. The flights originate in the Middle Eastern nation’s capital of Riyadh.
The inaugural flight, served by one of Flynas’ 53 Airbus A320neos, was met with a water cannon salute after it touched down at 3:30 a.m. local time earlier this week. It marks the first of a thrice-weekly route, serving Entebbe on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Situated on the shores of Lake Victoria, Entebbe airport serves Uganda’s capital, Kampala, being just over an hour’s drive from the city.
The route is expected to boost access for Ugandan Muslims making pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, with Ramadan, an important period of fasting for Muslims, beginning next month. It’s also expected to grow the external labor market in Saudi Arabia, which is increasingly prevalent. According to NilePost, Uganda saw over 77,000 migrant workers traveling to Saudi Arabia, a sharp increase from previous years.
For an airport serving most of Uganda, which has over 48 million people living in it, Entebbe is served by very few international airlines. The Central African airport sees flights from airlines such as Emirates, KLM, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines.
There’s no competition on this specific route, with the challenge for Flynas being whether the airline can compete with legacy carriers Emirates and Qatar Airways.
