AMSTERDAM / KAMPALA — Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) has temporarily suspended all flight operations to and from Entebbe International Airport in Uganda for a two-week period starting May 31, 2026. The sudden decision has forced the immediate cancellation of several key flights on the Amsterdam–Entebbe route via Kigali, including flights originally scheduled for May 30 and June 1. According to KLM Country Manager Rukia Otema, the suspension was not triggered by an unmanageable health risk within Uganda itself, but rather by rigid new travel restrictions and mandatory 21-day quarantine protocols imposed on airline crews by international destination hubs. Because the standard incubation period for Ebola is 21 days, any pilots or crew transiting through Entebbe face lengthy isolation periods upon return, making it logistically impossible for the carrier to maintain regular staff rotations and flight schedules.

The disruption comes as regional health authorities work to contain a localized flare-up in East Africa, where Uganda has confirmed three new Ebola cases, bringing its total number of infections to five. Meanwhile, the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo continues to battle a larger, ongoing outbreak in its eastern provinces, sparking widespread caution among global border control authorities. The operational halt by KLM adds to a growing wave of travel restrictions that are increasingly threatening Uganda's international connectivity. Uganda Airlines has already suspended its route to Kinshasa, and the crisis is spilling over into the cultural sector, forcing local artists like singer Joshua Baraka to postpone international tour dates due to sudden visa restrictions. KLM stated that it is closely monitoring the situation alongside global health bodies and will conduct a comprehensive review on June 14, 2026, to determine whether flight operations can safely resume.