Daily Monitor Article 26Jan09
Skyjet for Juba passenger route
Tom Magumba & Justus Lyatuu
Kampala
Passengers plying the Entebbe-Juba route have another option of boarding Skyjet- a local cargo airline that has upgraded to carrying passengers.
The aircraft is scheduled to ply the Entebbe-Juba-Khartoum and Khartoum-Juba-Entebbe daily starting February 1. This is not only likely to break the monopoly of Eagle Air and Air Uganda - the only passenger planes that have been operating from Entebbe airport to Juba - it could spark a new wave of competition on the route.
Skyjet Aviation Uganda Ltd Chairman Hamad Tamale Musoke said this was a joint venture with Sudan-based Alok Group of Companies who also own a local airline operating in Southern Sudan.
Alok Group owns a 30 per cent stake while the 70 per cent is for Mr Mosoke and Captain Ahmed - all Ugandan businessmen.
“We want to feel the transport gap to Southern Sudan and we hope the passengers will benefit from our services,” he said at a function to launch the airline’s passenger operations last week.
Skyjet has been operating at Entebbe Airport since 2003 as a cargo plane. Its B737-232 has already been registered in Uganda and the second plane a B767 - planned to serve the long-haul routes - is expected by end of May 2009.
Mr Musoke said the airline is designated to fly to North Sudan, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania. Some of these regional and international routes will be used immediately and others in the medium term to mark the first phase before venturing into Europe. He said they were already formalising issues of accreditation in these countries through the respective embassies and ministries of foreign affairs.
Mr Musoke said their first passenger flight with capacity of 110 passengers is scheduled for February 1 offering a baggage allowance of 30kg and 40kg for those travelling in the “economy” and “first” class respectively. “We are launching at a time when there so many challenges like fluctuating fuel prices and competition but we are prepared for all this,” Mr Musoke said adding that will employ 350 Ugandans both directly and indirectly through forward and backward linkages.
Skyjet Commercial Manager Emmanuel Okware declined to comment on the rates however, they are not expected to beat the existing ones.