Protesters outside Ethiopian Airlines offices in Uganda demand refund

KAMPALA, Uganda

A group of external recruitment agencies members on Wednesday held a protest outside the office of Ethiopian Airlines in Uganda’s capital Kampala, seeking refund for canceled flights.

More than 50 recruitment agencies help recruit Ugandan women who want to go to work in the Middle East as housemaids. Before COVID-19 restrictions, more than 100 such women flew out of Uganda on weekly basis.

All the scheduled flights which were destined for Saudi Arabia were canceled about a month ago due to the COVID-19.

Catherine Winnie Banura, secretary general of the Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies (UAERA), said in a press interview that flight cancelations have resulted in massive losses.

“We have come at the Ethiopian Airlines office to demand a refund of money used to buy flight tickets.

The airline was stopped from flying to Saudi Arabia a month ago, but after many of our clients booked tickets,” Banura said.

Banura said the airline officials have promised to refund the money after two weeks.

There was no official statement from Ethiopian Airline.