Uganda Airlines sign a new deal with Airlink
By Our reporter
KAMPALA – Uganda Airlines has signed an interline agreement with South Africa’s regional carrier Airlink, a move that expands regional connectivity and promises smoother travel for passengers across Southern Africa.
The partnership links Uganda Airlines’ network with Airlink’s extensive route map via Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB). Under the deal, travellers can now book a single ticket from Entebbe International Airport (EBB) to more than 45 destinations in South Africa and the wider Southern African region, with baggage through-checked and transfers simplified in Johannesburg.
“This agreement makes regional travel seamless,” said Uganda Airlines in a statement. “Passengers benefit from a single itinerary, eliminating repetitive check-ins and ensuring smoother connections.”
The interline deal opens up several strategic advantages. Business and leisure travellers gain direct access to sought-after destinations including Cape Town, Durban, Victoria Falls, Windhoek, and Gaborone, while Airlink customers can now connect into Uganda Airlines’ growing African network. The enhanced network supports not only tourism but also intra-African trade and business travel, providing airlines with higher load factors and broader market access.
Airlink is also revising its Johannesburg–Nairobi schedule from March 2026 to optimize connections for business travellers, with early morning southbound departures and midday northbound flights, aligning with onward services from Johannesburg to regional and long-haul destinations.
“Through Johannesburg, our customers can seamlessly access both domestic and international connections,” said Airlink CEO de Villiers Engelbrecht, highlighting Nairobi as a strategic gateway to East Africa.
Meanwhile, Malawi Airlines will launch direct flights between Lilongwe and Entebbe on December 15, 2025, operating four times weekly. The new service reduces travel time, eliminates stopovers, and is expected to stimulate trade, tourism, and cross-border business opportunities between Uganda and Malawi.
Industry analysts say these developments illustrate a broader trend toward intra-African connectivity, which is critical for the continent’s economic integration. For passengers, the benefits are immediate: faster, more reliable travel with fewer logistical hurdles.
Airlines stand to gain from increased traffic and the ability to tap into new feeder markets, while trade and tourism corridors between East and Southern Africa are likely to see measurable growth.
