Etihad introduces Entebbe service

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has strengthened its presence in East Africa with the launch of new services between Abu Dhabi and Entebbe in central Uganda.
A delegation consisting of senior representatives from the airport, government officials and local dignitaries welcomed the inaugural flight.
Operated by a two-class Airbus A320 aircraft with 16 Business Class and 120 Economy Class seats, the new service is designed to provide business and leisure travelers with a direct four-times-per-week service between Entebbe and Abu Dhabi, with onward connections to key destinations in the GCC region, Europe, Indian Subcontinent, North Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia.
The new service also provides access to the nearby Ugandan capital of Kampala. Uganda has a total population of nearly 40 million, and is the world's second most populous landlocked country after Ethiopia.
James Hogan, president and CEO of Etihad Airways, said: “Uganda is one of the continent’s fastest-growing business and tourism destinations and the launch of services to Uganda is consistent with our strategy of targeting areas of strong growth in emerging markets. Not only does this service provide our guests with direct access to an exciting new business and tourism destination, it also further strengthens our presence in East Africa and across the African continent.”
“The UAE is a major trading partner with Uganda and our new point-to-point services strengthen the two-way flow of trade and commerce between the two countries. The flights are also scheduled to offer onward connections to key destinations across our global network, such as Ahmedabad and Mumbai in India or Beijing and Shanghai in China.”
Etihad Airways currently operates scheduled services to eight other destinations in Africa and the Indian Ocean, including Cairo, Casablanca, Dar es Salaam (Dec. 2015), Johannesburg, Khartoum, Lagos, Nairobi and Mahe in the Seychelles.