Qatar Airways has announced an expansion of its African operations, increasing flight frequency to Entebbe, Uganda. Starting from 1 August to 30 September. The airline will enhance its service from daily flights to 11 weekly flights between Doha and Entebbe.
This increase aims to meet the summer demand and improve air connectivity across Africa, fostering stronger economic, business, and cultural ties. Hendrik du Preez, Qatar Airways Vice President for Africa, highlighted the improved connectivity for passengers traveling from Uganda to destinations in the USA, Asia, Europe, and North Africa. He emphasized that this move supports trade and tourism growth between Uganda and Qatar, providing convenience for passengers with early arrivals in Doha.
Du Preez noted Africa’s potential as an untapped market with increasing travel and business opportunities. He mentioned that the airline is expanding its connectivity throughout the continent by increasing destinations and flight frequencies, and forming partnerships with African airlines. The increase in Entebbe flights signifies Qatar Airways’ dedication to the Ugandan market and is expected to boost the growth of Uganda’s exports.
This expansion follows the recent addition of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, to Qatar Airways’ network of over 170 global destinations. The Kinshasa route, with four weekly flights, has also increased capacity to Angola, with flights to Luanda rising from one to four weekly.
Since December 2020, Qatar Airways has added several new destinations in Africa, including Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Harare, Kano, Luanda, Lusaka, and Port Harcourt. The airline has also resumed flights to Alexandria and Cairo. Currently, Qatar Airways offers 180 flights per week to various African destinations, with the number expanding to over 900 weekly flights when including codeshare partners.
Qatar Airways has 30 interline agreements, five of which are codeshares with African airlines, and has made strategic investments in Kigali’s new international airport. This demonstrates the airline’s long-term commitment to Africa and the expansion of air travel and infrastructure.
Over the past year, Qatar Airways has optimized its schedule in most African markets to improve connectivity to Europe, China, and the Indian subcontinent through its hub, Hamad International Airport. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the aviation industry supports 7.7 million jobs in Africa and contributes $63 billion to the continent’s GDP, with $44 billion generated by tourism.
Du Preez highlighted the significant potential for both the aviation sector and the continent. IATA forecasts Africa’s passenger traffic to nearly double by 2035, exceeding 263 million passengers. Qatar Airways’ rapid expansion, partnerships, and pursuit of opportunities position it well to contribute to this growth.
Recently, Skytrax’s World Airline Awards honored Qatar Airways with the ‘Airline of the Year’ award for the eighth time, further cementing its status as a leading global airline.