Uganda Airlines aircraft.
The Ministry of Works and Transport has submitted a supplementary budget request of UGX 1.696 trillion to Parliament, with UGX 422.264 billion earmarked as the initial payment for the acquisition of ten new aircraft for Uganda Airlines.
Gen. Katumba Wamala, the Minister of Works and Transport, presented the request on 1 December 2025 while appearing before Parliament’s Budget Committee during the scrutiny of Supplementary Schedule No. 2 ahead of its tabling in the plenary.
According to Gen. Katumba, Uganda Airlines is in the process of procuring a new fleet comprising four mid-range narrow-body Airbus aircraft, four wide-body Boeing jets, and two Boeing-converted freighters for cargo operations.
“The supplementary budget is to cater for the projected initial requirements for the aircraft purchase for this financial year 2025/2026. It includes pre-delivery payments at purchaser agreement signature amounting to UGX 247.019 billion and sharing UGX 275.245 billion for the pre-delivery payments required in January 2026 from both manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus,” Gen. Katumba explained.
He stressed that aircraft procurement requires substantial upfront investment to secure production slots, noting that delays in payment can result in losing the opportunity to acquire the planes.
“We are buying just this, but when you look at companies like Qatar, they have made an order for 465 aircraft with Boeing. So, if you don’t pay for your slot, then you’ll never get these aircraft,” he said.
Gen. Katumba added that the priority now is slot reservation. “Part of this is to pay to book our slot so that we keep paying as we get the money. But the most important thing is to secure our slot so we can know when to finish the payment.”
However, MPs expressed concerns about past procurement challenges. Paul Omara, the Otuke County MP, asked the airline management to guarantee that the new purchases will not face the same issues as the Bombardier aircraft bought during the revival of Uganda Airlines.
“You remember the Bombardier we bought. Later on, we discovered that there were no spare parts, they were no longer in production, and I don’t know what we are going to do with those aircraft,” Omara said.
“We would want assurance from you and the team that this procurement will ensure future support for those ten aircraft,” he added.
The supplementary request is expected to be debated in the next parliamentary sitting, with lawmakers likely to scrutinize the financial viability, strategic justification and long-term maintenance plan for the proposed fleet expansion.
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