Uganda Airlines is recruiting Boeing 737 pilots as it prepares to move from a wet-lease arrangement to a dry lease, a change expected to lower aircraft leasing costs and give the national carrier greater control over its operations.
The airline has advertised positions for Boeing 737 captains and First Officers as it builds its flight-deck capacity ahead of the expected arrival of its Boeing 737 Max aircraft.
It is also recruiting country managers for Rwanda and West Africa as it prepares to expand its regional network with planned flights to Kigali and Accra.
Flights to Accra are scheduled to begin on October 27, while services to Kigali are expected to start on November 19.
The recruitment is part of the airline’s efforts to reduce its reliance on wet leases, under which an aircraft is provided together with its operating crew.
Uganda Airlines has operated a Boeing 737-800 under a wet-lease arrangement with Ethiopian Airlines since May.
People familiar with the plans said the carrier intends to have its own pilots in place by November, when the current wet-lease arrangement is expected to expire.
From wet lease to dry lease
Under the planned arrangement, Uganda Airlines would continue operating the aircraft but would provide its own pilots and cabin crew.
The aircraft is expected to remain sourced from Ethiopian Airlines.
The shift could reduce the carrier’s direct leasing costs by about two-thirds, according to people familiar with the plans.
However, moving to a dry lease will transfer greater operational responsibility to Uganda Airlines, including the recruitment, training and certification of pilots and securing the necessary regulatory approvals.
Preparations to certify cabin crew are also said to be advanced.
Uganda Civil Aviation Authority regulations limit wet-lease arrangements to six months, making the transition necessary if the airline is to continue operating the aircraft beyond the current agreement.
Uganda Airlines had not responded to a request for comment on the number of pilots it plans to recruit or the exact transition timeline by the time of publication. 256 Business News contacted the airline on August 18.
Airline reshapes regional network
The leasing changes come as Uganda Airlines reorganises its regional network in an effort to improve passenger connections to its longer-haul destinations.
Kigali is expected to provide additional passenger traffic for the carrier’s European and West African routes, while Accra is intended to strengthen connections to destinations including Lagos and Mumbai.
The airline has also adjusted its London schedule, moving departures from Entebbe to daytime, between 10:30am and 11am, with return flights arriving the following morning.
It has added a Saturday Harare-Lusaka frequency and a Monday service to Johannesburg.
Flights to Nairobi remain at three a day, including a new 10pm departure.
“The philosophy behind the new route structure is connectivity and growth,” people familiar with the strategy said, adding that morning, mid-afternoon and evening flight “banks” are intended to improve passenger connections.
The recruitment of Boeing 737 flight crews is therefore expected to form part of a broader effort by Uganda Airlines to strengthen its operational capacity as it expands its network and moves towards greater control of its aircraft operations.
