By Joseph Kiggundu
ENTEBBE.Uganda Airlines has suspended all flights between Entebbe and Kinshasa indefinitely, citing passenger and public safety following new Ebola containment measures.
The suspension takes effect Saturday, May 23. It comes after the Ministry of Health and the National Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease, chaired by Vice President Jessica Alupo, ordered a halt to public transport between Uganda and the DRC, including border markets and other cross-border activities.
While the taskforce set the suspension period at four weeks, Uganda Airlines said its own halt would remain “until further notice.”
“This decision has been taken as a precautionary measure in the interest of the health, safety and well-being of our passengers, crew and the wider public,” the airline said in a statement Friday evening.
Uganda Airlines has been operating four weekly flights to Kinshasa with its Bombardier CRJ aircraft since launching the route in December 2020.
The move follows broader restrictions announced by the Ebola taskforce. However, President Yoweri Museveni appeared to push back against the decision, saying it was driven by panic.
Opening the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo on Thursday, Museveni said he would discuss the matter with the taskforce, arguing there was no need for alarm because alternative measures were available to prevent the spread of Ebola from the DRC.
The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that all flights between Uganda and the DRC had been suspended, referencing an earlier announcement by Uganda Media Centre Director Allan Kasujja on X.
The Entebbe-Kinshasa route is served by five airlines: Uganda Airlines, Kenya Airways, RwandAir, Ethiopian Airlines, and Air Congo. All have now suspended operations on the route.