A growing wave of criticism is engulfing Uganda’s national carrier, the Uganda Airlines after numerous passengers accused it of repeatedly losing or delaying their checked luggage, particularly on its flights to South Africa and West Africa.
In the past weeks, dozens of passengers who flew on Uganda Airlines’ Johannesburg route said their baggage was never loaded onto the aircraft, leaving many stranded without their belongings when they landed at their destination.
One passenger who recently flew with the airline from Johannesburg reported that more than 50 people on flight UR-711 waited for over two hours at the baggage carousel only to be told their bags had been left behind at O.R. Tambo International Airport in South Africa.
“There is another flight that had bags but ours never came. We were told to wait but it took us two days,” said a father who had come to pick up his son returning from studies.
Another, Ms Sarah Bireete, the Executive Director at the Center for Constitutional Governance, said her two check-in bags were missing when she arrived in Uganda.
Several other travelers took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the way the entire issue was handled by the airline.
In another separate social media post, Brenda Adiru Wadri, who works at the Uganda Communications Commission, claimed that on a recent flight to South Africa, passengers were left waiting for luggage and in some cases told it was “forgotten at Entebbe.”
Another traveller, Alex Kakande, expressed frustration online.
“At this point, I would rather take a connecting flight than trust Uganda Airlines with my bags,” Kakande wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The mishandling of baggage has not only angered passengers but has also drawn the attention of the country’s Parliament.
In its latest report, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC-COSASE) flagged UGX 11.9 billion (about US$3.16 million) in contingent liabilities tied to lawsuits over lost luggage, among other issues.
Mr Medard Lubega Sseggona, the committee’s chairperson, warned of a reputational risk to the national carrier, calling the contingent liabilities a major threat to investor confidence.
In a statement, the Uganda Airlines acknowledged the problems and noted that this was because it was overwhelmed with operations on the Johannesburg route and baggage backlogs.
The increased volume of passengers and luggage, particularly during peak travel, the airline said, is currently straining their current capacity, which uses the Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft on some long-haul routes especially on the Johannesburg route.
The airline, in a public apology, said the delays were unintentional and assured customers that staff are working around the clock to mitigate the effects of the baggage backlog.
According to its customer service plan, Uganda Airlines promises to deliver delayed baggage to a passenger’s local address within 24 hours once located or reimburse reasonable and necessary expenses incurred as allowed under applicable treaties. Many of the affected clients however reported no reimbursement.
They instead claim that the baggage saga is more than an operational hiccup but a symptom of failures in the airlines management and governance.
It should be noted that Uganda has not ratified the Montreal Convention, which standardizes airlines’ liabilities for delayed or lost baggage potentially limiting passengers’ ability to claim compensation.
