Rwandair has acquired three aircrafts including two CRJ 200 purchased from Germany and a Boeing aircraft, which will be delivered early next year.
This new development in Rwanda’s flag carrier will also see the company’s existing routes boosted significantly.
The airline presently flies to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya, Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania, Oliver Tambo International Airport in South Africa and Entebbe International Airport in Uganda while it locally flies to Kamembe airport in Changugu in Rwanda.
The airline will as a result introduce flights to Goma, Bukavu and Kinshasa in the DR Congo (DRC) in December this year.
"We are expanding to Goma International Airport and other airports and this is expected to boost trade between the countries where Rwandair flies to," Mr. Michael Otieno, the marketing and corporate communications officer for Rwandair said.
The purchase of the three crafts will end seven years of leasing other carriers’ planes, a business arrangement many players in aviation industry describe as costly.
A source told The East African Business Week that the two aircrafts that were purchased from Germany have already been branded and painted with the airline’s colours and the country’s flag.
But the Boeing craft will be delivered early next year and it will be deployed on longer routes, easing the connectivity of passengers from Kigali International Airport to other destinations.
The Goma and Dar es Salaam flights will be launched concurrently, according to plans. The flights which start on 2nd and 15th December respectively have been welcomed by clients saying they will reduce delays at the airport and ticket costs.
Reports have said the national carrier will fly to Goma four times a week and three times to Dar es Salaam.
A return air ticket from Kigali to Goma will cost $199 while passengers to Dar Es Salaam will pay $399.
The airline recently re-branded from Rwandair Express to Rwandair, a move that is aimed at making its presence felt in the regional air travel industry.
Source: East African Business Week