By Ronald Kulabako
Uganda’s flag carrier on Monday announced that its Airbus A330-800neo jet was back in service after a prolonged maintenance period.
“We are pleased to announce the return to service of 5X-NIL, our Airbus A330-800neo,” the airline said in a post on X on Monday.
It added that the aircraft successfully operated its first flight to Dubai on 17 April 2026, marking an important milestone in strengthening capacity across our international network.
The aircraft was grounded in mid-February following a routine borescope inspection that detected cracks in turbine blades.
It aircraft remained out of service pending further technical checks.
The airline’s operations suffered severe turbulence since December prompted by a global aircraft spare part shortage.
To manage the disruption, the airline secured a short-term wet lease arrangement with Ethiopian Airlines for a Boeing 787-8 aircraft to cover capacity gaps created by maintenance checks on its wide-body fleet.