Uganda Airlines placed its first order with Boeing on July 21, 2026, agreeing to buy four 737-8 and four 787-9 jets at the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom. Boeing said the deal is a firm order for eight aircraft and marks the East African flag carrier’s first purchase of Boeing airplanes.
A first Boeing order for a growing carrier
Boeing said the 737-8, the best-selling member of the 737 MAX family, seats 160 to 180 passengers in a two-class layout and flies up to 3,500 nautical miles. Uganda Airlines plans to use it on intra-Africa routes and service to the Middle East and India.
The 787-9 Dreamliner, with a range near 8,300 nautical miles, will anchor long-haul flying to the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Together the two types cut fuel use by 20 to 25 percent compared with the aircraft they replace, according to Boeing.
“This commitment with Boeing marks a defining step in Uganda Airlines’ growth journey,” said chief executive Girma Wake, adding that it supports the airline’s ambition to position Entebbe as a strategic aviation hub for the region. The order was one of several signed as Boeing worked through a busy second day at Farnborough.
Why the order matters
Uganda Airlines relaunched in 2019 and today flies a small fleet of two Airbus A330-800neo widebodies and four Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets from its base at Entebbe. It currently serves 17 destinations across 13 countries, Boeing said.
The deal is therefore a notable shift for a carrier that had bought only Airbus and Bombardier equipment. Both of its A330-800neos were grounded at points in early 2026 over engine problems before returning to service, regional outlets reported, briefly cutting the airline’s long-haul reach.
The 787-9s would give Uganda Airlines a second widebody type for routes to Europe and Asia, while the 737-8 offers more capacity and range than the roughly 76-seat CRJ900s it flies on regional sectors. The airline is chasing the same connecting traffic that larger neighbors already carry through their own hubs.
Running Boeing jets alongside its Airbus widebodies means Uganda Airlines will operate a mixed fleet, which usually raises training and maintenance costs. Airlines accept that trade when a manufacturer offers the right aircraft, delivery slots or financing, and growing carriers often court both planemakers to keep them competing on price.
Entebbe sits on the northern shore of Lake Victoria and is Uganda’s main international gateway. Building it into a regional hub would put Uganda Airlines in direct competition with Addis Ababa, Nairobi and Kigali, where Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways and RwandAir have already built connecting networks across the continent.
Reality check
Orders announced at an airshow are commitments, not deliveries. Boeing’s order backlog runs into the thousands of aircraft, so Uganda Airlines’ eight jets are unlikely to arrive for several years, and the airline has not said when the first will enter service.
The order adds to a strong run for Boeing at this year’s show, which opened on July 20 with roughly 128 jets from lessor SMBC Aviation Capital and Saudi startup Riyadh Air. For more on that opening day, see our coverage of Boeing’s Farnborough orders.
Sources and references used for research and fact-checking.