From first officer to captain: Uganda Airlines promotes three pilots

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 AVIATION  ✈️🇺🇬

Two days after Uganda Airlines launched its four-times-weekly flights between Entebbe and Ghana's capital Accra a fortnight ago, CEO Girma Wake spoke of the airline's plan to not only recruit more especially locally-trained pilots, but also promote more.

"Pretty soon we will have another captain," he said.

The Ethiopian business executive with decades-long experience in aviation was responding to a question about how Uganda Airlines plans to balance the cockpit personnel in its growing fleet of CRJ, Airbus and the incoming Boeing aircraft.

The question, posed to him during a media engagement in Accra on October 29, was based on the recent promotion of Rita Nasirumbi from first officer to the first female captain of Uganda Airlines — a historic milestone that would have done well to inspire many aspiring aviators.

"We will produce a lot of Ugandan pilots," said Girma, who has been at the helm of the flag carrier since February this year.

Without any specifics, he also revealed that "pretty soon we will have another captain".

True to his word, Uganda Airlines on Tuesday (November 10) announced its three newly promoted captains: Tina Drazu, Vanita Kayiwa and Brian Ochen (in the order they are pictured below).

Kigali is calling

A series of posts on social media platform X show the ceremonial decoration of the trio with their four-striped epaulets — in the company of joyful family members and colleagues.

"Welcome to the left seat, Captains," reads one caption for pictures showing the uniformed newly-promoted pilots posing for group photos.

In the cockpit of a standard aircraft, the captain, who holds ultimate command of the flight, traditionally sits in the left seat while the first officer or co-pilot sits in the right seat.

"A proud moment for the Airline, and a reminder that to succeed, you must love it, live it, and own it," reads another caption.

The development has come in the week preceding Uganda Airlines' launch of daily flights between Entebbe and Rwanda's capital Kigali, starting with the inaugural flight on November 18.

The Entebbe-Accra (via Lagos) and Entebbe-Kigali routes add to the national carrier's widening network of international and regional destinations, with more routes planned for opening with time.

▪️ We will produce many Ugandan pilots, says CEO Girma

Already flying to places such as London, Mumbai, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Kinshasa, Dar es Salaam and Juba, Uganda Airlines is planning to expand its connnectivity to Guangzhou, Cape Town, Jeddah and Riyadh.

In June this year, Uganda signed a multi-billion-dollar (sh3.7 trillion) deal with Boeing to acquire 10 new planes, including two for specifically cargo.

For now, Uganda Airlines owns six planes — four CRJ900s and two A330s.

Since two of them are grounded, the national carrier wet-leased a Boeing 737-800 plane from Ethiopian Airlines in March this year, with which the new Entebbe-Accra service was launched last month.

The lease was initially intended to last until November 10 this year, but Girma said it was extended until next March to allow Uganda's full fleet to be back in operation.

"In fact we will be leasing another aircraft from Europe in November. By March, we should be able to have the second A330 flying. When that happens, we will see how to expand to more points," he said in Accra.

The latest promotions in the cockpit and the expected arrival of more planes in the coming years means things are looking up for the flag carrier under Girma's leadership.

▪️ Uganda Airlines' Entebbe-Accra route brings more deals on the ground

'We need to develop our own'

The 83-year-old said he is working with the East African Civil Aviation Academy, better known as Soroti Flying School, to "directly take the graduates and train them".

"We cannot be depending on others. As an African, I know one thing for sure. Things are not always going to be good for any country," he said.

"There are times when things go against you. When that happens, if you are depending on outsiders, outsiders go, they leave you with an empty hand. It is good to develop your own people as much as possible."

It is the sort of philosophy that Girma applied to Ethiopian Airlines during his seven-year stint as CEO from 2004 until 2011, which saw an incredible transformation of Ethiopia's flag carrier into one of Africa's most successful and respected airlines.

His Vision 2010 plan at the time saw Ethiopian Airlines grow exponentially in passenger and fleet numbers, and with over 1,000 new jobs created.

Under the veteran business executive's watch now, Uganda Airlines is working to reach its break-even point by 2031.

Part of the strategy to achieve this is to increase air traffic to between 12% and 15% every year. The airline is also looking at improving its revenue performance by diversifying its revenue streams as well as carrying more cargo.

'It is improving'

In terms of revenue projections, Girma, off the cuff, hopes that Uganda Airlines will be earning at least 12% more per year, in the region of $160 million (sh657 billion) to $170 million (sh698 billion).

And by 2030, the figure should be even bigger: in the range of $400 million (sh1.64 trillion) to $500 million (sh2.1 trillion).

At the moment, the national carrier is generating around $84 million (sh345 billion) to $90 million (sh369 billion) per year. The CEO projects that this year, the figure will have grown to $116 million (sh476 billion) and to $160 million in the next.

"It is improving. The signs are there."
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