Malawi Airlines starts direct flights to Entebbe
In 2023, Uganda's total exports to Malawi were valued at sh11.6b (approx.$3.33m) and have increased at an annualized rate of 9.54% from 2018 to 2023.
Kirumira said they were also lobbying President Yoweri Museveni to allow Uganda’s national carrier, the Uganda Airlines, to start direct flights to Namibia to serve the growing number of people traveling between the two countries.
The Malawi Airlines is scheduled to start direct flights between Entebbe International Airport and Kamuzu International Airport, targeting easing and boosting trade between the two countries.
In 2023, Uganda's total exports to Malawi were valued at sh11.6b (approx.$3.33m) and have increased at an annualized rate of 9.54% from 2018 to 2023.
The imports were valued at sh15.7b (approx. $4.52m), growing at an annual rate of 41.7% in the same period.
The Malawi Airlines Uganda station manager, Lillian Kyobutungi, said that effective December 15, 2025, the country’s national carrier will make direct flights from the capital Lilongwe to Entebbe. It will operate four times a week, on Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
“This strategic route is designed to enhance regional connectivity and foster stronger ties in trade, tourism, and cultural exchange between Malawi and Uganda, as well as the broader Southern and Eastern African region,” Kyobutungi said in a statement issued on Saturday, November 15, 2025, from the company offices in Kampala.
She said many businesspeople in Malawi have of recent, made frequent flights to Entebbe, yearning for quick and reliable means to achieve their missions faster.
She explained that the company has been making chartered flights for mainly businesspeople due to the increasing travels and trade between the two countries, until they decided to launch direct flights.
“We are now going to offer passengers convenient access to onward connections via Lilongwe to key destinations including Johannesburg, Harare, and Lusaka,” Kyobutungi added.
She explained that the airline would remain committed to expanding its regional footprint and delivering reliable, customer-focused air travel across Africa.
The Malawi Airlines Uganda station manager, Lillian Kyobutungi, said that effective December 15, 2025, the country’s national carrier will make direct flights from the capital Lilongwe to Entebbe. It will operate four times a week, on Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
Uganda’s top exports to Malawi include concentrated milk, packaged medicaments (pharmaceutical products), malt extract while Malawi's exports to Uganda include iron stovetops, scrap iron, and raw tobacco.
Godfrey Kirumira, the chairman Kampala-based Kwagalana Group, which unites the city’s top businesspeople, welcomed the development, saying Ugandans are spreading so fast in many countries in Africa and worldwide, looking for trade opportunities.
“When you travel abroad, Ugandans are now ranking second after Nigeria, doing all sorts of businesses. We now have serious and well-focused businesspeople. I am not surprised that Malawi saw it fit to start direct flights to Entebbe,” Kirumira, who is also the Namibian consul general to Uganda, stated.
Kirumira said they were also lobbying President Yoweri Museveni to allow Uganda’s national carrier, the Uganda Airlines, to start direct flights to Namibia to serve the growing number of people traveling between the two countries.
“We need Uganda Airlines to fly directly to Namibia and vice versa, because we have seen the number of travelers increasing. It is healthy for African countries to open such direct business ties. It also shows that other countries are now recognizing our businesspeople and Uganda’s products,” he said.
Kirumira commended president Museveni for his good relationship with other countries, which is opening opportunities for business, saying the working relationship between Uganda and Namibia has created stronger bonds that are attracting trade between the two countries.