Whistleblower petitions IGG over illegal airline operating at Entebbe

It is about a month since a whistleblower petitioned in Inspectorate of Government (IG) accusing Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) of allowing an unregistered airline operate in Uganda.

Incidentally, the accused operator, PearlSky, is a tenant of UCAA premises at Entebbe International Airport (EIA) terminal building. According to the whistleblower, PearlSky could be having a ‘godfather’ in UCAA who is protecting them against several aviation breaches.

“They do not have an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) as well as an Air Service License (ASL) that allows air operators to work in Uganda. These are mandatory requirements for one to operate in Uganda,” says the whistleblower.

“Also, because they do not have an ASL, they have not paid the annual Mandatory Performance Bond of $10,000 for domestic operators, or $30,000 for international operations like other operators do. The controversy is how UCAA, the regulator, has illegal tenants operating illegally, with no security passes, but having an office in such a sensitive area.”

Reached out for a comment, Munira Ali, the Inspectorate of Government spokesperson, could neither confirm or deny receipt of the petition. “I need some time to crosscheck because we receive many petitions on a daily basis,” she said.

It is from this background that UCAA, through its spokesperson Vianney Luggya, has come out to clarify on the controversial issue.

“In March 2026, we received information raising concerns that Pearlsky Limited was offering domestic passenger air services from Entebbe, despite not being licensed as an air operator.

We undertook verification and established that Pearlsky Limited had applied for office space at the airport to provide marketing services for Misk Air Ltd. We also established that Pearlsky Limited did not hold an ASL, an AOC, or aircraft of its own and, therefore, was not licensed or authorised to operate commercial passenger air services in Uganda,” he says.

“The authority, nevertheless, identified a number of activities that had the potential to create the impression that Pearlsky Limited was itself an air operator such as offering of flight reservation services through its website, with ticket sales appearing under the Pearlsky name.”

Luggya emphasizes that the use of documentation relating to Misk Air’s Air Services Licence in connection with the company’s office arrangements at Entebbe International Airport and the facilitation of public announcements at the airport through the ground handling agent, Menzies Aviation, was in a manner that was not consistent with the airline identification reflected on the flight information display system.

So, upon establishing these concerns, UCAA took immediate regulatory action. In a letter dated March 27, 2026, UCAA directed Pearlsky Limited to immediately cease any unauthorised operations in Uganda and to provide a detailed written explanation of the nature and scope of its activities.

According to Luggya, further verification established that some activities remained inconsistent with the regulatory requirements. UCAA therefore took additional enforcement action.

On August 17, 2026, UCAA directed Pearlsky Limited to cease and desist, with immediate effect, from operating, offering, advertising, promoting, selling or otherwise holding itself out as providing unauthorised air services in Uganda.

This included the publication or acceptance of flight reservations for such services. UCAA also imposed a regulatory penalty of $5,000, payable by August 31, 2026. On August 26. 2026, the Authority further reaffirmed the requirement for compliance with the enforcement measures and the stipulated timelines, and advised that failure to comply could result in additional regulatory enforcement action without further notice.

“To ensure that the matter was brought to a clear regulatory conclusion, UCAA convened a meeting with Pearlsky Limited on September 11, 2026, which resulted in agreed corrective measures, including the immediate cessation of the unauthorised operations and ticket sales, submission by Air Serv Limited of a formal written confirmation and submission by Air Serv Limited of the required documentation to UCAA by September 18, 2026,” Luggya says.

According to Luggya, following the regulatory action taken by UCAA, Pearlsky Limited paid the imposed regulatory penalty of $5,000 and the company ceased activities that presented it as an air operator.

“UCAA remains committed to ensuring that all entities involved in commercial air transport activities operate strictly within the applicable licensing and regulatory framework,” he says.

“We take seriously any information suggesting that an entity may be holding itself out to the public as an air operator without the requisite approvals.”

Nonetheless, the whistleblower claims that PearlSky is not operated by Ugandan, but by Kenyans, a one Anthony Njoroge and questions whether they hold work permits to work in Uganda.

Records online show that Njoroge has worked in Uganda for some time and is a former general manager at Aerolink and BAR Aviation. Reached out for a comment, Njoroge dismissed the accusations, saying the company is not an airline operating from Entebbe International Airport but a marketing company promoting Uganda as a tourism destination.

“We are not an airline company but a marketing company working to promote Destination Uganda. You cannot operate an airline at Entebbe or in any other space without clearance from UCAA. The airline industry is one of the most regulated industries in the world; so, you cannot take such a risk,” he said.

Njoroge further admits that the company does not own any aircraft and therefore cannot operate as an airline, suggesting that some individuals could be attempting to tarnish its reputation.

“We do not own any jets; so, we cannot operate as an airline company. There may be individuals trying to mudsling the company,” he said.

However, on their website [https:// pearlskyug.com], the company identifies as Ugandan and defines itself as “PearlSky Markets AIRserv Ltd‚ a domestic airline offering premium schedule and charter flights into Uganda’s national parks. Proudly registered in Uganda‚ AIRserv commenced its operations on August 1, 2025.”

According to the whistleblower, the ambiguity of their identity is a deceptive manouvre to appear as though it is a holding company.

“They keep mutating whenever challenged by other industry players in order to identify themselves as a domestic airline. This company does not exist but they are only duping the public.”

When we made a search at the Uganda Registrations Services Bureau, it revealed there is no such company. The whistleblower further how Pearlsky manages to publish a flight schedule complete with flight numbers on their website and even fly government VIPs and ministers.

“Someone in UCAA must be surely protecting them because they cannot illegally do all this much in front of UCAA with an office rented by UCAA in a prime place. They also illegally use the international public announcement system at the airport to announce their flights. How do they get access if they are not protected by UCAA?” wonders the whistleblower.

“They dupe genuine operators by lending from their aircraft to fly passengers but then reneging on payment, and to other service providers at the airport. They also dupe The Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO), The Uganda Association of Travel Agents (TUGATA), and other tour organisations that they are an authorised airline whereas they are not authorized by UCAA.”

The whistleblower signs off by warning the Uganda Tourism Board and all entities under tourism to investigate the matter. Amidst all this controversy, the biggest concern is how a foreignoperated company continues to operate in prime space at Entebbe international airport while key stakeholders continue to cry foul.

geofreyserugo1992@gmail.com

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