AIRPORT UNDER SIEGE? CAA, Security Move to Kick Out PearlSky from E’bbe Over Secret Operations
KAMPALA — Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) Director General Fred Bamwesigye has issued a stark warning to PearlSky, saying the entity could be kicked out of Entebbe International Airport over what he described as illegal operations.
Bamwesigye said UCAA is investigating PearlSky after complaints were raised over its activities at the airport and allegations that the entity has been presenting itself as an airline despite not being registered with the aviation regulator as one.
“What they are doing is illegal. They are not an airline but instead a marketing agency. We shall investigate and we will chase it away from airport premises for acting fraudulently,” Bamwesigye told Red Pepper.
The UCAA boss added that PearlSky is not registered with the authority as an airline and is instead a marketing agency renting space at Entebbe.
“It is not registered with us (UCAA) as an airline. They are a marketing agency just renting our premises. We are investigating their existence at Entebbe, their operations. If possible, we shall chase them from Entebbe,” Bamwesigye said.
His comments have dramatically escalated scrutiny of PearlSky, turning what had previously been a dispute over the company’s identity and aviation activities into a direct regulatory confrontation.
Bamwesigye’s remarks come after whistleblower complaints were reportedly submitted to UCAA, the Inspectorate of Government, security agencies and senior government officials, raising questions about PearlSky’s regulatory status and activities at Entebbe.
The complaints alleged that PearlSky was operating domestic flights and marketing air services despite allegedly lacking the licences required to operate as an airline.
The allegations also questioned how the entity had secured space at one of Uganda’s most sensitive aviation facilities and how its activities were being conducted within the airport environment.
Rather than dismissing the complaints, Bamwesigye said the authority was investigating.
His warning that PearlSky could be removed from the airport signals that the regulator considers the matter serious enough to warrant enforcement action if the investigations establish further breaches.
UCAA spokesperson Vianney Luggya has separately confirmed that the authority investigated concerns about PearlSky’s activities.
According to Luggya, UCAA received information in March 2026 alleging that PearlSky Limited was offering domestic passenger air services from Entebbe despite not being licensed as an air operator.
The authority says its verification established that PearlSky had applied for office space at the airport to provide marketing services for Misk Air Ltd.
UCAA further established that PearlSky did not hold an Air Services Licence (ASL), Air Operator Certificate (AOC), or aircraft of its own and was therefore not authorised to operate commercial passenger air services in Uganda.
However, the authority found that some of PearlSky’s activities could create the impression that it was an airline.
These included flight reservation services on its website, with ticket sales appearing under the PearlSky name.
UCAA ORDERED IT TO STOP
The regulator says it first acted against PearlSky on March 27, 2026, when it directed the company to immediately cease unauthorised operations and explain the nature and scope of its activities.
The enforcement action was strengthened on August 17, when UCAA ordered PearlSky to cease and desist from operating, offering, advertising, promoting, selling or otherwise holding itself out as providing unauthorised air services in Uganda.
The directive also covered publication or acceptance of flight reservations for such services.
UCAA imposed a US$5,000 regulatory penalty, which the authority says PearlSky subsequently paid.
On August 26, UCAA reaffirmed the enforcement measures and warned that failure to comply could result in additional action.
PEARLSKY-MISK AIR LINK UNDER SCRUTINY
The regulator’s findings also shed light on PearlSky’s connection to Misk Air.
UCAA says PearlSky had applied for airport office space specifically to provide marketing services for Misk Air.
The authority also raised concerns about the use of documentation relating to Misk Air’s Air Services Licence in connection with PearlSky’s office arrangements at Entebbe.
According to Luggya, PearlSky’s facilitation of public announcements at the airport through ground-handling company Menzies Aviation also created inconsistencies with the airline identification displayed on the airport’s flight information system.
Misk Air had previously operated within the Entebbe Flight Information Region, with records supplied to the authority indicating that it operated between August 2019 and April 10, 2024, before leaving the Entebbe/Goma operation. During its time at Entebbe, it operated under Police Airwing arrangements using a Cessna 206 aircraft, registration 5X-MAL.
The Misk Air connection is now part of the wider questions surrounding PearlSky’s activities and whether members of the public could have been left with the impression that PearlSky itself was an authorised air operator.
PEARLSKY: ‘WE ARE NOT AN AIRLINE’
PearlSky representative Anthony Njoroge has rejected allegations that the company is illegally operating an airline.
In a separate media interview, Njoroge said PearlSky is a marketing company whose role is to promote Uganda as a tourism destination.
“We are not an airline company but a marketing company working to promote Destination Uganda,” he said.
Njoroge argued that PearlSky could not operate an airline without UCAA approval because aviation is among the most heavily regulated sectors.
He also said PearlSky does not own aircraft.
“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.
BUT ITS WEBSITE RAISES QUESTIONS
The dispute has been complicated by the way PearlSky presents itself and its services online.
Information cited in the whistleblower complaints indicates that PearlSky’s website has carried information about scheduled and charter flights to Uganda’s national parks, including flight reservations.
The whistleblower argued that this presentation could cause members of the public and tourism operators to believe PearlSky is itself an authorised domestic airline.
UCAA’s own investigation identified the same concern, saying PearlSky’s reservation and ticketing activities had the potential to create the impression that it was an air operator.
The regulator’s position therefore appears to be less about whether PearlSky owns aircraft and more about whether its activities amount to holding itself out to the public as an unauthorised air operator.
SECURITY AND AIRPORT ACCESS QUESTIONS
The whistleblower complaints also raised questions about PearlSky’s presence at Entebbe and the procedures through which its personnel and operations access the airport environment.
They questioned who clears its activities, how its operations are documented and whether all applicable airport and aviation security procedures are followed.
There is, however, no evidence presented establishing that PearlSky constitutes a security threat.
The central regulatory issue established by UCAA is its licensing status and the manner in which PearlSky has marketed and facilitated air services.
SEPTEMBER MEETING
The matter reached another stage on September 11, 2026, when UCAA convened a meeting with PearlSky.
According to Luggya, the meeting resulted in agreed corrective measures, including the immediate cessation of unauthorised operations and ticket sales.
Air Serv Limited was also required to submit formal written confirmation and relevant documentation to UCAA by September 18.
UCAA says PearlSky subsequently paid the US$5,000 penalty and ceased activities that presented it as an air operator.
BAMWESIGYE’S AIRPORT WARNING
Despite the payment and corrective measures, Bamwesigye’s latest comments suggest that UCAA’s scrutiny of PearlSky has not ended.
His warning that the entity could be removed from Entebbe airport puts the spotlight back on the company’s continued presence at the airport and whether its activities fully comply with the regulator’s requirements.
For UCAA, the issue is now one of ensuring that entities operating within Uganda’s aviation environment do not cross the line between marketing aviation services and actually presenting themselves as licensed air operators.
For now, however, Bamwesigye’s message is unequivocal: UCAA does not recognise PearlSky as an airline, considers some of the activities under investigation illegal, and is prepared to consider removing the entity from Entebbe airport.
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