“WE STOLE AN ENGINE FROM OUR OWN PLANE!” — Uganda Airlines CEO Wake Reveals Shocking Trick Used to Keep Flights Alive
Uganda Airlines was pushed into such a desperate corner that it had to remove a working engine from one grounded Airbus A330 aircraft and install it on another just to keep some long-haul flights in the air!
The shocking revelation was made by Uganda Airlines’ Acting Chief Executive Officer, Girma Wake, while appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) on Thursday 27th August 2026
Wake revealed that after both of the airline’s wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft developed engine problems, management resorted to what is known in the aviation industry as engine cannibalisation — taking a serviceable engine from one aircraft and fitting it onto another as a temporary solution.
The crisis reportedly left Uganda Airlines with as much as 80% of its operational capacity grounded from late 2025, throwing the national carrier into one of its toughest periods yet.
The situation was reportedly worsened by maintenance contract challenges involving Rolls-Royce, with unpaid bills affecting the maintenance and servicing arrangements for the troubled engines.
As the fleet remained grounded, the financial consequences became enormous, with the airline reportedly suffering losses estimated at Shs786 billion.
With aircraft unavailable, Uganda Airlines was also forced to look elsewhere to keep its operations alive, temporarily leasing aircraft — including a Boeing 787 from Ethiopian Airlines — to continue serving some of its long-haul routes.
Wake, a seasoned Ethiopian aviation expert appointed to lead the carrier in an acting capacity in early 2026, described the engine swap as an emergency stopgap as efforts continue to overhaul the damaged engines and restore the grounded aircraft.
One of the Airbus A330 aircraft is expected to return to service in early 2027, according to the recovery plan presented to COSASE.
Management is also working on wider reforms aimed at restoring the airline’s reliability, reducing operational costs and strengthening in-house maintenance capacity.
For now, however, Wake’s revelation paints a worrying picture of just how far Uganda Airlines had to go to keep flying — swapping engines between its own grounded aircraft while battling mounting losses and a major maintenance crisis.
The big question now is whether the planned recovery measures will finally get Uganda Airlines’ troubled fleet fully back in the skies.