Uganda Airlines wins Africa’s youngest aircraft fleet for 2023 

Uganda Airlines (UR) with its average aircraft age of 4.38 years has won ch-Aviation’s Africa’s Youngest Aircraft Fleet for 2023 for the third year in a row.

When UR initially wound up business in 2001, it was a struggling carrier with an ageing fleet of planes that were constantly breaking down. But in 2019 when it was revived, instead of going into the market for cheaper used planes, the airline made a bold move and invested in a fleet of brand-new six aircraft including two Airbus A330s and four regional CRJ 900 Bombadiers, making it the youngest fleet in all of Africa.

Kenya Airways with an average aircraft age of 4.38 years came in second, Air Tanzania (5.66 years) in third, Air Seychelles (6.14 years) in fourth and Air Austral of Reunion (6.71 years) in fifth – but of all of them operate small aircraft compared to Uganda Airlines.

On the global scale, Uganda Airlines’ fleet is the fifth youngest in the world according to ch-Aviation report based on data covering up to December 31, 2022.

“We at ch-aviation congratulate them for being environmentally conscious. This is a feat worth celebrating!” Thomas Jaeger, the ch-aviation founder and CEO said.

The ch-aviation Youngest Aircraft Fleet Award recognizes airlines across the globe which maintain young, modern, and efficient aircraft. Airlines dedicated to keeping their fleet young with new-generation aircraft contribute significantly to decreasing carbon dioxide emissions within the aviation industry and help achieve better fuel efficiency.

“We are proud of our fleet and that it is environmentally compatible with our sustainability initiatives. We are also aware that we need to utilize our fleet more through our network expansion plan,” said Uganda Airlines CEO Jenifer Bamuturaki.