A historic moment in African aviation unfolded over the weekend as the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) Cessna float plane successfully took off from Entebbe, instantly reigniting the sense of connectivity across the Lake Victoria islands.
This event is more than a successful flight; it is a powerful revival of a long-neglected mode of transport and a beacon of opportunity for a region where conventional infrastructure often fails to reach isolated communities.
As articulated by Barry Kashambo, the Executive Chairman of Africa Air Transport Solutions Associates (AATSA), this “reintroduction reframes Uganda, which has nearly 30% of its landmass covered by water, as a water-linked nation, offering a scalable, infrastructure-light solution for growth.”
Revival of Forgotten Aviation History
While the float plane may appear modern, its operation on Lake Victoria echoes a rich history dating back to the 1930s.
According to Kashambo, seaplanes once served as vital air links between Europe and Africa, connecting key regional hubs like Entebbe, Kisumu, and Mwanza.
However, decades of weak planning, policy implementation, and the dominance of land-based aviation have gradually sidelined this crucial transport system.
This neglect left the dense populations on Lake Victoria’s over 200 islands largely isolated and underserved, with only Bukasa Island currently boasting a conventional airstrip.
The arrival of the MAF float plane, flown into Uganda by expert pilots Ryan Unger and Chad Tilley, effectively restores this long-lost sense of connectivity.
As Pastor Dirisa Walakira, a leader of pastors’ fellowship on the islands, exclaimed upon hearing the news, “Salvation has arrived.”
Beacon of Opportunity for the Great Lakes Region
MAF Uganda’s Country Director, Sam Baguma, who has worked on this project for over five years, emphasised the deep humanitarian motivation behind the initiative, noting the overwhelming gratitude for a tool designed to remove isolation.
“I’m so overwhelmed with gratitude, and I can’t express how excited I am to finally have this aircraft here, because I’ve been working on this for over five years,” Baguma said, adding, “I have seen so many people across the MAF family pooling their expertise together to make this happen, because they deeply care about the people that are going to be reached by this tool.”
He revealed that beyond humanitarian missions, the float plane capability offers vast, untapped potential for the Great Lakes region, which includes:
Commercial Connectivity
It offers an economically viable solution for transporting goods and services to islands and remote shores.
Tourism Expansion
It creates potential routes to picturesque inland destinations like Lake Bunyonyi and Lake George in Uganda, or linking Kigoma (Tanzania) to Goma and Bukavu (DRC), and can revitalise regional tourism by opening up areas inaccessible by conventional air or road travel.
Security and Emergency Services
Baguma noted that the aircraft can significantly enhance police and military operations by providing rapid, water-based access for surveillance, emergencies, and medical evacuations.
This approach, he rightly observed, offers a cost-effective, agile solution to enhancing accessibility precisely where conventional runways are absent, directly reconnecting people, trade, and tourism through the region’s expansive water bodies.
Broader Call for Strategic Vision
Kashambo noted that this milestone simultaneously underscores a recurring African challenge: the “tendency to neglect and later rediscover our own achievements.”
He underscored that Africa possesses the technical expertise and creativity to sustain such innovations, but often lacks the coordinated strategy to transition potential into sustained progress.
The revival of the float plane service is therefore a powerful symbol that demands a collective strategic response.
As Kashambo pointed out, what is needed now is coordinated consultation and implementation, embodying confidence, collaboration, and a long-term vision, to ensure that this forgotten dream does not fade again, but instead takes flight to shape Uganda’s and Africa’s water-linked future.