Sudhir confirmed to our reporter that his scheduled Sunday flight to London had been abruptly cancelled.
“We understand that this may cause concern and inconvenience,” the statement read in part, adding that customer experience and operations teams are working to re-accommodate affected travelers.
Passengers have been offered alternative arrangements, including rebooking on partner airlines where available, schedule adjustments, or flexibility to rebook without change fees.
The first visible sign of the crisis came with the cancellation of Flight UR 430/431 on the Entebbe–Mumbai route. The service between Entebbe International Airport (EBB) and Mumbai (BOM), scheduled for Saturday, 21 February 2026, was formally scrapped “due to operational reasons.”
Under normal operations, UR 430 departs Entebbe at 13:20 hours and arrives in Mumbai at 23:00 hours. The return leg, UR 431, departs Mumbai at 01:10 hours and lands in Entebbe at 05:50 hours. Both rotations were cancelled as the maintenance issues unfolded.
Subsequent developments confirmed that the Entebbe–London service — one of the airline’s flagship long-haul routes — has also been affected. The London route has been a critical revenue generator and a strategic bridge linking Uganda directly to Europe since its high-profile launch.
For business leaders like Sudhir, whose Ruparelia Group maintains interests across banking, real estate, education, insurance, and hospitality, disruptions to international travel can carry significant ripple effects across multiple portfolios.
Uganda Airlines resumed operations in 2019 after nearly two decades of dormancy, backed by substantial government investment aimed at rebuilding the national carrier. Its fleet includes Airbus A330-800neo aircraft deployed for long-haul operations and CRJ-900 jets serving regional routes.
However, aviation analysts have consistently cautioned that operating intercontinental routes with a minimal number of wide-body aircraft leaves limited room for technical contingencies. When one aircraft undergoes maintenance, scheduling becomes tight; when both are grounded, network-wide disruptions become difficult to avoid.
The current episode highlights the structural vulnerability of a lean long-haul fleet strategy, particularly for a carrier still consolidating its revival in a competitive global aviation market.
Uganda Airlines says it is working “around the clock” to source the necessary components and technical expertise required to return the grounded aircraft to service. The airline has advised passengers booked on London and Mumbai flights to check status updates via its official website and contact its global call centre for assistance.
As the duration of the disruption remains uncertain, the grounding of both long-haul aircraft marks one of the most testing moments yet in the airline’s modern history.
For now, passengers — from high-profile business magnates to ordinary travelers — await the return of the national carrier’s wide-body fleet to the skies, as Uganda Airlines navigates a critical phase in its ambitious intercontinental expansion.
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