Private Jets & UL Cargo flights linked to Uganda – What’s going on?

COLOMBO (News 1st); SriLankan Airlines on Thursday (14) said it received an air cargo order to transport about 102 tons of printed material from Colombo to Entebbe International Airport in Uganda in February 2021.The consignment was purely commercial in nature and brought in much-needed foreign revenue to the airline and country at the time.

SriLankan wishes to emphasize that this cargo order was undertaken for commercial reasons only, it added.The details of the cargo consignment were withheld due to contractual obligations as per air cargo industry standards said the statement.However, in response to concerns raised following the statement the national carrier tweeted to say that the Ugandan government ordered Ugandan currency notes from a global security printer who operates several factories worldwide, including one in Sri Lanka, exporting to global markets.It went on to note that SriLankan aircraft which were underutilised at this time (2021) during the pandemic were chartered by a UK based freight forwarder.A tweet by the Airline Pilot’s Guild of Sri Lanka on the 23rd of February 2021, revealed that SriLankan Airlines operated three consecutive cargo flights to Entebbe in Uganda.Sri Lankan Airlines said what is now being misunderstood is the Airline Pilots Guild proud announcement of this achievement of using unutilized pax aircraft.HOWEVER…….Multiple events between Uganda and Sri Lanka in recent times sparked serious concerns among Sri Lanka’s social circles.The most recent of these events was when Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa travelled to Tirupati, India on pilgrimage, in a private jet.This particular jet was leased for a very high price, and it arrived at the Ratmalana Airport for the Prime.