Airbus inks deal to sell passenger planes to Uganda

Airbus said Wednesday it had signed an agreement to sell two commercial passenger planes to Uganda as part of the country's plan to revive its national airline which has been defunct for years. The government of long-ruling President Yoweri Museveni has said restarting the national carrier will help Uganda take a slice of the region's growing aviation business and also invigorate the service sector of the economy. Airbus said Uganda would purchase two A330-800neo aircrafts. An iteration of Airbus' A330 widebody airliner, the A330-800neo features new wings and Rolls-Royce's new generation Trent 7000 engines. Airbus' CCO, Eric Schulz said that the planes would "bring a range of benefits offering unrivalled efficiencies with the most modern cabin. We look forward to see the A330-800neo flying in the colors of Uganda." Founded by Uganda's former dictator Idi Amin in 1976, Uganda Airlines was liquidated in the 1990s by Museveni's government under a broader program to privatize troubled state firms and open up the economy to private enterprise.<br/>