The first flight, initially scheduled for 11:10am local time (08:10 GMT), took to the air one hour later.

The passengers were mainly government officials and media.

The first commercial flight is scheduled to take off from Uganda's Entebbe International Airport on Wednesday.

Ugandans have received the airlines' revival with pride, but also skepticism about how well it will do.

The old Uganda Airlines closed down following years of mismanagement, corruption and asset-stripping.

This is the latest East African country to launch a national carrier, with Rwanda Air and Air Tanzania taking to the skies in recent years.