Uganda Airlines has launched flights to Ghana’s capital, Accra, expanding its West African operations in a move the government hopes will improve trade, tourism and business links between the two regions.
The inaugural service began on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, with four flights a week connecting Entebbe International Airport to Kotoka International Airport in Accra via Lagos, Nigeria. The airline is using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft leased from Ethiopian Airlines.
The route adds Ghana to the airline’s West African network, which already includes Lagos and Abuja in Nigeria. It also gives passengers another option for travelling between Uganda and Ghana, where existing connections include routes through Nairobi and Addis Ababa.
Works and Transport Minister Fred Byamukama said the new service would reduce the time passengers spend travelling between the two countries.
“Previously passengers could spend between eight to ten hours in transit, depending on the country one was transiting through. But now we shall use about five hours maximum. This saves time and removes all those inconveniences we are going through,” Byamukama said at the launch.
Government targets trade and investment
State Minister for Planning Amos Lugoloobi said the route could help Ugandan businesses reach West African markets, particularly for agricultural products and other exports.
“To ensure that this route serves as an important economic asset, we must optimize our cargo capabilities to handle a range of Uganda’s high value exports. This direct connection will open West African markets to our premium agricultural products including roasted coffee, tea, sugar, edible oil, fruits, horticulture and pharmaceuticals,” Lugoloobi said.
He also called on Ghanaian investors to establish long-term ventures with Ugandan businesses, identifying manufacturing, energy, information and communications technology, and healthcare as sectors with investment potential.
The government’s ambitions extend beyond passenger traffic. Officials want the route to support cargo movement and make it easier for businesses, investors and service providers to operate across the two regions.
However, the extent to which the new service will increase exports and investment will depend on demand, cargo capacity and the commercial performance of the route.
Uganda Airlines acting chief executive Girma Wake said the expansion was intended to strengthen connections across the continent through Entebbe.
“Our end goal is to be an engine of change, productivity, growth and prosperity for the nation we serve. We believe we are not only serving Ugandans and Ghanaians. We connect the whole of Africa through Entebbe to Ghana,” Wake said.
He also pointed to opportunities for tourism exchanges, saying Ugandans could visit Ghana’s historical sites while Ghanaian travellers could experience Uganda’s wildlife and freshwater fish.
Entebbe’s role as a regional hub
Uganda Airlines is seeking to position Entebbe as a connecting point for passengers travelling between African destinations and the airline’s longer-haul services.
The Accra service builds on the carrier’s existing flights to Lagos and Abuja. The airline has also been reorganising its schedules to improve connections between regional services and flights to destinations including London, Mumbai and Dubai.
Wake said the airline wanted to make it easier for passengers from different parts of Africa to connect through Uganda, rather than depend on lengthy journeys through other continents.
The airline’s board chairperson, Priscilla Serukka, said passengers travelling to West Africa had previously faced inconvenient connections.
“You had to first fly to Europe and then come back to Africa,” she said.
Serukka said the airline was working towards expanding its network to 24 destinations and pledged to maintain reliable services and management.
The new route is scheduled to operate four times a week, with return fares starting at $550, according to the information released at the launch. The advertised starting fare provides another option for travellers, although actual ticket prices may vary.
Regional integration and airport development
The launch comes as African governments seek to increase trade between countries under the African Continental Free Trade Area, which aims to create a more integrated continental market.
Better air links can support that objective by reducing travel barriers for businesspeople, investors and tourists. The benefits, however, will depend on whether improved connectivity translates into sustained commercial activity.
Ambassador Richard Kabonero credited Uganda’s foreign missions with helping advance the airline’s expansion plans, citing negotiations in South Africa and engagements in Mogadishu, Somalia.
“We were in South Africa for negotiations, and in Mogadishu last week to remove some bottleneck. Today a team from our mission is ready to receive you in Accra,” he said.
Byamukama also outlined plans to expand domestic aviation infrastructure, saying Kabalega Airport was 90 percent complete and expected to be launched in early 2027. Arua and Mbarara airports were also in the government’s plans, he said, as part of efforts to support domestic tourism and improve access to destinations outside the main aviation gateway at Entebbe.
Birungi Lumonya, deputy director of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, congratulated the airline on the new route and said the authority would continue supporting its operations while ensuring compliance with aviation regulations.
She said Uganda Airlines accounted for almost 30 percent of transit traffic at Entebbe International Airport.
