A Uganda Airlines Airbus A330ne plane. PHOTO | COURTESY
I was part of the team organising a mega event in Arua in May 2024, and we wanted to avoid our guests exhausting themselves by traveling over 490 km for 7 hours from Kampala to Arua. Therefore, I reached out to one of the airline companies operating the Entebbe-Arua route.
They informed me that a one-way flight would cost $215, a return ticket would cost $395, and a chartered 6-seater aircraft would average $3,800 per day. Sometime this year, I travelled to Nairobi using Kenya Airways; the return flight cost me $302 and lasted for an hour, 15 minutes, from Entebbe International Airport (EIA) to Jomo Kenyata International Airport (JKIA). The flight distance between EIA and Arua Airport is some 232 miles (202 nautical miles), while JKIA is some 324 miles (282 nautical miles) away.
The average cost per nautical mile for a flight from Entebbe to Nairobi is $1.07, whereas a return flight to Arua costs $1.96. Taking domestic inland travel by citizens as a measure, this means Ugandan travellers are paying nearly twice as much as their Kenyan counterparts.While there are many factors that influence airline ticket pricing, distance and demand are the most critical factors that determine flight ticket prices and have a huge bearing on operating costs such as fuel, maintenance, airport fees, and aircraft acquisition or leasing expenses. It is these operational overheads that create a baseline for ticket pricing.
Changes in these costs, such as global fuel costs, can have a significant impact on ticket prices. According to Hugh Aitken, VP Flights at Skyscanner, “Airlines use complicated algorithms to set pricing, considering factors like route demand, competition, and operational costs," underscoring the fact that demand is the ultimate price determinator. Some of the cost overruns occur due to poor aerodromes and infrastructure.
Dr. Elijah Chingosho, Aviation Expert at the African Civil Aviation Commission, indicates that infrastructure challenges, such as poor aerodromes and limited air traffic control, increase costs for airlines. It is a well-curated notion that the government, through CAA’s plans to develop Arua Airport into a regional international airport linking South Sudan and DR. Congo, has not materialised. This could be one of the reasons why many airlines shun the unpaved airstrip in favour of a paved runway for fear of a brisk wear and tear of their aircraft.
Recently, Uganda's Minister of Works and Transport, Gen. Katumba Wamala, announced that the Karuma bridge, a vital link between Uganda's capital, neighboring South Sudan, and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), will remain closed to all forms of traffic for a minimum of three months. This decision stems from safety concerns and aims to facilitate major repairs. The bridge spans the River Nile and also serves as a gateway between the Midwestern, Northern Uganda, and West Nile Sub-regions.
This closure has exacerbated transportation challenges, including disrupted passenger and freight traffic, longer turnaround times for trucks, and high operating costs due to delays. This underscores the need for reliable air travel alternatives, as there is a perceived demand for airline services in West Nile, despite the associated costs. To address the high flight costs, the call to action is for the government to expedite the works for the Arua Airport upgrade, offer flexible cost waivers on airport fees, and encourage competition by attracting more airlines, in addition to rallying stakeholders to make air travel more accessible and affordable for Ugandans.
By doing so, the government can generate revenue while providing citizens with affordable and efficient air travel options unimpeded by unexpected circumstances such as the Karuma Bridge closure.
John Candia
