Rwandan National Carrier acquires East Africa's first Airbus A330-200
Rwanda's National carrier which was founded in 2002 has once again shown a commitment to continue punching above its weight especially In a region dominated by well established national carriers Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines.
Rwandan National carrier has taken delivery of a brand new Airbus 330-200, proudly
nicknamed ‘Ubumwe’ (unity).
The aircraft is the first of its kind in East Africa and will help boost RwandAir’s capacity to expand its wings globally, John Mirenge, the airline’s chief executive, told The New Times in Toulouse, France, yesterday.
The aircraft, with a capacity of 244 passengers, is expected to touch down at Kigali International Airport at exactly 11am today, with more than 80 passengers on board.
Mirenge said the new wide body aircraft is the biggest milestone for Africa’s fastest growing airline and opens up opportunities in terms of expanding the airline’s footprint.
“We are now set to compete globally,” Mirenge said, adding that the airline has been growing at an average of 20 per cent in the last six years and is currently positioning itself as the most efficient and reliable airline in the region.
The new aircraft, worth about $250 million (about Rwf200 billion)
brings the airline’s total fleet to nine with four additional aircraft
expected to be delivered by end of February 2017.
The aircraft is expected to be deployed on the Dubai route.
And, a second Airbus 330-300 is due for delivery in November 2016 and, according to aviation experts, the acquisition of these two wide-body aircraft will significantly increase RwandAir’s capacity to effectively meet growing demand and provide exceptional service quality for its fast growing Africa -Asia and Europe routes which it serves out of its hub at Kigali Internation Airport.
RwandAir will shortly add Harare (Zimbabwe), Mumbai (India), as well as major trading and manufacturing centre,
Guangzhou (China) to its list of destinations before expanding to
Western Europe.
The A330 type of aircraft has an operational reliability of 99.4 per cent and boasts efficiency for all market segments, thus making it a perfect match for RwandAir, Corrin Higgs, the Airbus interior marketing director, said.
The new aircraft means the airline can now expand its flight coverage to both Europe and East Asia in the near future.
‘Commendable commitment’
Hadi Akoum, Airbus’s executive vice-president in charge of sales for Africa, Europe and Asia Pacific, commended RwandAir’s commitment to continue taking the lead in developing the continent’s aviation industry.
“We are proud of the visionary leadership of the Government of Rwanda and RwandAir’s efforts to contribute to the continent’s aviation industry,” he said.
“The new aircraft reaffirms the confidence between RwandAir and Airbus and we will continue to stand side by side with the airline to ensure it realises its full potential,” he added.
Akoum said the manufacturer will equally assist in the training of the airline’s technical engineers and pilots to ensure efficiency and safety.
Jacques Kabale, Rwanda’s ambassador to France, said the aircraft means more efficiency in terms of movement, which will increase connectivity and will link Rwanda to the rest of the rest of the world.
In 2014, RwandAir and the Eastern and Southern Africa Bank (PTA Bank) signed a financial line of credit, worth $160 million, to support the purchase of the two airliners.
The national carrier successfully renewed its certificate for the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) for another two years to remain competitive.
IOSA programme is an internationally recognised evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of airlines.
And there is hope that with two wide body aircraft, the airline’s capacity could grow from the current 500,000 passengers annually to more than three million in the next five years.
Editors note: Rwandair currently serves several cities in West and Central Africa including Douala (DLA), Accra (ACC) & Lagos (LOS) via its hub at Kigali International Airport other points served in the region are Brazzaville, Congo and Libreville, Gabon with Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire commencing in October 2016. Rwandair offers its West and Central African customers convenient connections to popular points on its network such as Dubai (DXB), Johannesburg (JHB) and Nairobi (NBO). Commencing operations with widebody aircraft will enable the fast growing carrier offer connections to popular routes business routes such as Mumbai (BOM) and Guangzhou (CAN).
You can be sure that we at Quebix Travels will keep close tabs on these developments.
Do get in touch for all your travel and hotel booking requirements and do sound off in the comments section and ... PLS share this article across your social networks!
+234 80 5617 6729, quebixtravels@gmail.com
Facebook & Twitter: @quebixtravels
RwandAir acquires first Airbus A330-200 in East Africa
The
Airbus 330-200 takes off for its final test flight in Toulouse, France.
The aircraft is the first of its kind in East Africa and will help boost RwandAir’s capacity to expand its wings globally, John Mirenge, the airline’s chief executive, told The New Times in Toulouse, France, yesterday.
The aircraft, with a capacity of 244 passengers, is expected to touch down at Kigali International Airport at exactly 11am today, with more than 80 passengers on board.
Mirenge said the new wide body aircraft is the biggest milestone for Africa’s fastest growing airline and opens up opportunities in terms of expanding the airline’s footprint.
“We are now set to compete globally,” Mirenge said, adding that the airline has been growing at an average of 20 per cent in the last six years and is currently positioning itself as the most efficient and reliable airline in the region.
Mirenge (2nd right) and Amb. Kabale
(2nd left) with Airbus officials after the hand-over of the Airbus
A330-200 in Toulouse, France. / Peterson Tumwebaze.
The aircraft is expected to be deployed on the Dubai route.
And, a second Airbus 330-300 is due for delivery in November 2016 and, according to aviation experts, the acquisition of these two wide-body aircraft will significantly increase RwandAir’s capacity to effectively meet growing demand and provide exceptional service quality for its fast growing Africa -Asia and Europe routes which it serves out of its hub at Kigali Internation Airport.
The new Airbus 330-200 prepares for a final test flight in Toulouse yesterday. / Courtesy.
The A330 type of aircraft has an operational reliability of 99.4 per cent and boasts efficiency for all market segments, thus making it a perfect match for RwandAir, Corrin Higgs, the Airbus interior marketing director, said.
The new aircraft means the airline can now expand its flight coverage to both Europe and East Asia in the near future.
‘Commendable commitment’
Hadi Akoum, Airbus’s executive vice-president in charge of sales for Africa, Europe and Asia Pacific, commended RwandAir’s commitment to continue taking the lead in developing the continent’s aviation industry.
The Airbus 330-200, proudly nicknamed ‘Ubumwe’ (unity) is expected in Kigali today. / Courtesy.
“We are proud of the visionary leadership of the Government of Rwanda and RwandAir’s efforts to contribute to the continent’s aviation industry,” he said.
“The new aircraft reaffirms the confidence between RwandAir and Airbus and we will continue to stand side by side with the airline to ensure it realises its full potential,” he added.
Akoum said the manufacturer will equally assist in the training of the airline’s technical engineers and pilots to ensure efficiency and safety.
Jacques Kabale, Rwanda’s ambassador to France, said the aircraft means more efficiency in terms of movement, which will increase connectivity and will link Rwanda to the rest of the rest of the world.
In 2014, RwandAir and the Eastern and Southern Africa Bank (PTA Bank) signed a financial line of credit, worth $160 million, to support the purchase of the two airliners.
The plane will have its first commercial flight to Dubai later this week, officials said. / Courtesy.
The national carrier successfully renewed its certificate for the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) for another two years to remain competitive.
IOSA programme is an internationally recognised evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of airlines.
And there is hope that with two wide body aircraft, the airline’s capacity could grow from the current 500,000 passengers annually to more than three million in the next five years.
Editors note: Rwandair currently serves several cities in West and Central Africa including Douala (DLA), Accra (ACC) & Lagos (LOS) via its hub at Kigali International Airport other points served in the region are Brazzaville, Congo and Libreville, Gabon with Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire commencing in October 2016. Rwandair offers its West and Central African customers convenient connections to popular points on its network such as Dubai (DXB), Johannesburg (JHB) and Nairobi (NBO). Commencing operations with widebody aircraft will enable the fast growing carrier offer connections to popular routes business routes such as Mumbai (BOM) and Guangzhou (CAN).
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| Rwandair Aircraft |
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| Rwandair hub @ Kigali International Airport |
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| Baggage claim at arrivals - Kigali International Airport |
You can be sure that we at Quebix Travels will keep close tabs on these developments.
Do get in touch for all your travel and hotel booking requirements and do sound off in the comments section and ... PLS share this article across your social networks!
+234 80 5617 6729, quebixtravels@gmail.com
Facebook & Twitter: @quebixtravels
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