Qatar Airways is boosting its commitment to Africa with an additional four weekly flights to Entebbe, Uganda, to meet increased summer demand. The announcement comes about six weeks after the airline launched flights to Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), its 29th gateway in Africa.

Increasing flights to Uganda

Qatar Airways will increase the number of frequencies between Doha Hamad (DOH) and Entebbe International Airport (EBB) from a daily service to 11 weekly flights between August 1 and September 30, 2024. The ramped-up schedule highlights the airline’s commitment to improving connectivity across Africa and fostering stronger economic, business, and cultural ties. The airline’s daily service is currently operated by the Airbus A330-200.

Flight QR1383 departs Doha at 09:50 and arrives at Entebbe Airport at 15:30 local time. The return flight (QR1384) departs Entebbe at 17:30 and arrives at Hamad Airport at 23:20. From August 1, Qatar Airways will add four flights on the Airbus A320. The additional flights from Doha (QR1391) will be operated on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, while the return flights (QR1392) will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

Flights QR1383 and 1384 will also be switched from the A330-200 to the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The ramped-up schedule will be as follows (all times local):

By increasing flights to Uganda, the airline will also improve connectivity for passengers traveling from the East African country to other destinations on Qatar Airways’ network. Speaking about the new schedule, Qatar Airways Vice President – Africa, Hendrik du Preez, said,

“The increased frequency now guarantees improved connectivity for passengers traveling from Uganda to the USA, Asia, Europe and North Africa. It also supports the growth of trade and tourism between Uganda and Qatar while offering convenience for point-to-point passengers to save a day’s travel due to the early arrival in Doha.”

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Commitment to East Africa

Qatar Airways sees Africa as an untapped market with increasing travel and business opportunities. The increased frequencies from Entebbe will also boost the growth of exports from Uganda. The announcement follows last month’s introduction of non-stop flights from Doha to Kinshasa N’djili International Airport (FIH) in the DRC.

Photo: Phung Quang Minh | Shutterstock.com

The inaugural flight touched down in Kinshasa on Saturday, June 1, marking the addition of Qatar Airways’ 29th African destination. The four weekly flights also increased capacity to Angola, boosting the number of flights to Luanda from one to four per week. Kinshasa joined several new African destinations added by the airline since December 2020, including Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Harare, Kano, Luanda, Lusaka, and Port Harcourt.

The Middle Eastern carrier offers 180 weekly flights from Doha to 29 African destinations. With codeshares included, it offers over 900 weekly flights across the continent. The airline has 30 interline agreements (including five codeshares) with African airlines and a strategic investment in Kigali’s new $1.3 billion airport, demonstrating its long-term commitment to improving air travel and aviation infrastructure in Africa.

Investing in RwandAir and another African airline

Qatar Airways has fostered several partnerships with African airlines to increase connectivity and boost its presence on the continent. For the past five years, it has been in talks with RwandAir to acquire a 49% stake in the Kigali-based carrier. This would help RwandAir expand its fleet and routes and upskill its staff. According to RwandAir CEO Yvonne Makolo, the deal is expected to be finalized this month.

Photo: Thiago B Trevisan | Shutterstock

Meanwhile, in May 2024, Qatar Airways CEO Badr Al Meer announced that the airline “was at the final stage of an equity investment”in a Southern African airline. He added that the investment would complement the operations of RwandAir and Kigali as a hub in Central Africa. The deal was expected to be finalized about two to three weeks after the announcement, but there have not been any updates.