Choosing an airline for Entebbe really means choosing a connecting city. Very few people fly to Uganda non-stop from home, so the real choice is where you change planes: Dubai, Doha, Istanbul, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Amsterdam or Brussels. This round-up is for visitors flying in and for Ugandans flying out. It reflects schedules as of late September 2026, checked against airline and airport sources.
First, what happened in 2026
It’s been a disrupted year. Airspace closures across the Middle East from late February stopped most Gulf flights out of Entebbe for a time. Local reports at the time put the share of Entebbe’s traffic linked to that region at around 65%. Then, after the Ebola outbreak from mid-year, some airlines withdrew or restricted Uganda flights. The authority reported August 2026 international passenger numbers about 29% lower than a year earlier. The outbreak was declared over in late August, and the UAE lifted its entry restrictions on travellers from Uganda on 26 September 2026. Flights are coming back, but we check every booking against the latest schedule.
Uganda Airlines
The national airline flies from its Entebbe hub to London Gatwick and Mumbai, and to Dubai when that route is running. It was suspended more than once this year, so we confirm it at the time of booking. In Africa it serves Nairobi, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Bujumbura, Juba, Mogadishu, Johannesburg, Harare, Lusaka and Lagos. Kinshasa flights were suspended during the Ebola outbreak. The airline has announced Accra from 27 October 2026 and Kigali from 18 November 2026.
Gulf and Middle East airlines
- Emirates via Dubai. Its Entebbe flights continued during the Ebola period but with restrictions on passengers starting in Uganda. Those restrictions have now been lifted.
- flydubai via Dubai. It pulled out during the Ebola restrictions and appears in schedules again, with one or two flights a day.
- Qatar Airways via Doha.
- Air Arabia via Sharjah, a low-cost option popular with Ugandans going to the Gulf.
- flynas to Saudi Arabia, useful for pilgrims and for work travel to the Kingdom.
For visitors, Dubai and Doha connect to a huge number of cities in Europe, Asia and North America. For Ugandans, these are the usual routes to the Gulf itself.
European and Turkish airlines
- Brussels Airlines flies non-stop between Entebbe and Brussels most days of the week, with onward connections across Europe and to North America.
- KLM suspended its Amsterdam flights in June 2026 because of the Ebola restrictions. Its schedule shows Amsterdam–Entebbe flights returning from late October 2026.
- Turkish Airlines connects through Istanbul, which has one of the widest networks of any hub.
African airlines
- Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa, with several flights a day. It plans a fifth daily flight from 2 December 2026. Addis connects well to Europe, the Americas, Asia and West Africa.
- Kenya Airways via Nairobi, with a big network across Africa and beyond.
- RwandAir via Kigali. Read more in our guide to flying RwandAir.
- EgyptAir via Cairo, which links to the Middle East and Europe.
- Air Tanzania to Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro, handy for a Zanzibar extension.
- Jambojet, Kenya Airways’ low-cost sister airline, is restarting daily Nairobi flights from 1 October 2026.
- Safarilink flies from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport to Entebbe via Kisumu.
- Malawi Airlines began flights from Lilongwe in December 2025.
A few other carriers fly regional routes to Juba and neighbouring countries. Schedules on these can change at short notice.
Which connection suits you
- From the UK: Uganda Airlines flies direct from Gatwick. Otherwise, connect in Brussels, Amsterdam, Istanbul, the Gulf, Addis or Nairobi.
- From mainland Europe: Brussels Airlines and KLM are the direct options, with Turkish and the Gulf airlines as alternatives.
- From North America: usually one stop in Europe, the Gulf, Istanbul or Addis Ababa.
- From India: Uganda Airlines flies to Mumbai, and the Gulf airlines connect many other Indian cities.
- From elsewhere in Africa: Ethiopian, Kenya Airways, RwandAir and Uganda Airlines cover most regional routes.
Practical tips
- Check transit rules for the connecting country. Some passports need a transit visa, even without leaving the airport.
- After this year, a fare you can change is worth paying a little more for.
- Short on money? Our guide to finding cheaper flights to Entebbe has ideas.
We book flights on most of these airlines. Tell us where you’re starting from and your dates, and we’ll compare routes and book the one that fits, through our air ticketing service.
