ENTEBBE, Uganda — Ugandan tourism industry players are calling on the government to consider suspending Emirates flights to Entebbe in retaliation for continued United Arab Emirates restrictions affecting travellers from Uganda.
The calls have intensified after Uganda was officially declared Ebola-free on July 28, with tourism operators questioning why restrictions introduced during the outbreak remain in place while Emirates continues to operate flights between Entebbe and Dubai.
Tourism entrepreneur Amos Wekesa is among those pushing for a tougher response, arguing that Uganda should reconsider allowing the UAE carrier continued access to its aviation market if Ugandans remain restricted from travelling to Dubai.
“Why have you locked out Ugandans? Yet Emirates still flies into Uganda and Uganda Airlines can’t come to Dubai because its primary market is of Ugandans meant to do business in Dubai?” Wekesa wrote on X on August 8.
He called on the Ugandan government to suspend Emirates’ operations into the country until Ugandans are allowed to travel freely to the UAE.
“Government of Uganda should simply say, from tomorrow, Emirates isn’t flying into Uganda until Ugandans are allowed in Dubai,” he said.
The proposal, however, would represent a significant escalation in what began as a public-health measure rather than a diplomatic dispute.
Why the UAE restricted Ugandan travellers
The UAE introduced additional Ebola-related measures on June 6, suspending the issuance of new visas to nationals of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
The measures also restricted entry for travellers arriving from the three countries, including those travelling through another country, unless they had spent more than 21 days outside the affected countries before arriving in the UAE.
The UAE authorities described the measures as precautionary steps intended to strengthen national preparedness against Ebola. Cargo flights and transit operations were not affected.
Emirates itself continues to warn passengers that the UAE entry restrictions remain in force. Its travel advisory says travellers who have recently been in Uganda, the DRC or South Sudan will not be allowed to enter the UAE unless they have been outside those countries for more than 21 days.
The measures were introduced while Uganda was still responding to an Ebola outbreak.
By July 28, however, Uganda had met the World Health Organization’s 42-day requirement without a new case and declared the outbreak over. The outbreak had resulted in 20 confirmed cases and two deaths.
The development has since intensified calls for countries that introduced Ebola-related restrictions to review them.
Emirates still flies to Entebbe
Despite the restrictions, Emirates continues to operate the Entebbe-Dubai route.
The airline’s current schedule shows five flights a week between Entebbe International Airport and Dubai International Airport, although schedules can vary by season.
That continued connectivity has become central to the argument advanced by tourism operators such as Wekesa.
Their position is that Uganda should use its own aviation market as leverage to push for reciprocal treatment, particularly because Dubai remains an important destination for Ugandan business travellers, tourists and traders.
The debate also touches on Uganda Airlines, the country’s national carrier, whose expansion into Dubai has been viewed as strategically important because of the large number of Ugandan travellers who use the route.
Wekesa argues that continued access to Uganda’s passenger market by Emirates while Ugandan travellers face restrictions creates an imbalance that the government should address.
Tourism industry caught in the middle
The dispute comes at a sensitive time for Uganda’s tourism industry, which relies heavily on international connectivity.
Tour operators, hotels, airlines and other businesses depend on the movement of foreign visitors, investors and business travellers. Restrictions that discourage or prevent travel can therefore have effects well beyond the aviation sector.
Uganda had already been pressing countries to review Ebola-related travel restrictions as the country’s outbreak came under control.
Africa’s public health leadership also called on the United States to lift its Ebola-related restrictions on Uganda before the country formally declared the outbreak over, arguing that the measures were increasingly difficult to justify as Uganda went weeks without recording new infections.
The issue is complicated by the fact that Ebola continues to pose a regional health concern.
Uganda’s outbreak was contained, but neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo has continued to deal with a much larger outbreak. Uganda’s health authorities have therefore maintained surveillance and preparedness despite the country being officially declared Ebola-free.
Should Uganda retaliate?
The proposal to restrict Emirates flights raises a wider question about how governments should respond when public-health restrictions outlast the outbreak that prompted them.
For Uganda, the choice is between diplomatic engagement and economic retaliation.
Blocking Emirates would put pressure on the UAE but could also disrupt one of Uganda’s important international air links and affect travellers and businesses that depend on the route.
It could also have consequences for Uganda’s own tourism and trade ambitions at a time when the country is seeking greater international connectivity.
Also Read: UAE imposes travel ban on Uganda, DRC and South Sudan over Ebola risk
A more measured approach could involve formally requesting that the UAE review its restrictions following Uganda’s declaration that the Ebola outbreak has ended, while seeking a clear timetable for their removal.
For tourism operators, however, the frustration is increasingly evident.
Their argument is that Uganda has fulfilled the public-health conditions required to end its Ebola outbreak and that restrictions introduced during the emergency should now be reassessed.
The UAE, for its part, has continued to describe its measures as precautionary and subject to review based on health assessments.
The disagreement therefore risks evolving from a public-health issue into a broader question of diplomatic reciprocity, aviation access and economic interests.
For now, Emirates continues to fly to Entebbe, while Ugandan tourism stakeholders are urging the government to decide whether continued access to the Ugandan market should come with greater reciprocal access for Ugandan travellers to the UAE.
