RwandAir explained

Airline:RwandAir
Fleet Size:13
Destinations:25[1]
Iata:WB
Icao:RWD
Callsign:RWANDAIR
Parent:Government of Rwanda
Headquarters:Kigali, Rwanda
Key People:
Bases:
Cadjehoun Airport[4]
Kotoka International Airport[5]

RwandAir Limited is the flag carrier airline of Rwanda.[6] It operates domestic and international services to East Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, from its main base at Kigali International Airport in Kigali.[7]

History

Incorporation

After the 1994 genocide, the government took several attempts to revive the former national carrier Air Rwanda that ceased operations during the genocide. Various private companies showed interest in partnering with the government, and Uganda-based SA Alliance Air ran the company from 1997 to 2000.[8] After SA Alliance ceased operations, the government of Rwanda took over the Rwandan operations and re-branded the airline, to ensure its continuity. RwandAir began operations on 1 December 2002 as the new national carrier for Rwanda under the name Rwandair Express (with passenger air transportation as the core activity). In 2016, RwandAir received International Air Transport Association's Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO).[9]

Re-branding

The airline began to expand regionally and by 2009 the network included Dar-es-Salaam, Nairobi, and domestic destinations such as Gisenyi. In March 2009, the airline registered the new trademark RwandAir Limited, which is its current operating name. In June 2009, the airline officially re-branded from Rwandair Express to RwandAir, because the new name implied a large, serious airline, while the "Express" in the former name implied a small regional operation.[10]

In May 2010, Rene Janata became the CEO, introducing a frequent flyer program and developing the airline to become a network carrier. In October 2010, John Mirenge became the new CEO of RwandAir.[11]

2010–2015

In July 2010, the first of RwandAir's new Boeing 737-500s arrived; the second one arrived on 20 October 2010. Both are leased from General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) and each has a two-class configuration with 12 business class seats and 90 economy class seats.[12]

In August 2011, the airline took delivery of their first aircraft purchased directly from an airline manufacturer. All prior aircraft operated by RwandAir had been either leased or bought as a second-hand aircraft. The aircraft that was purchased is a Boeing 737-800 with Sky Interior, also known as the Boeing 737 Next Generation, and was the only one operating among African airlines. The flight departed from Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, United States, at 5:30 PM PST. It made its first stop in Keflavík International Airport in Iceland, then it headed for a second stop to Istanbul, Turkey. It finally arrived in Kigali, Rwanda, after a 20-hour flight.[13]

In October 2011, RwandAir took delivery of their second Boeing Next Generation 737-800. During January 2012, the airline disposed of the two CRJ200 aircraft it owned, in anticipation of acquiring two CRJ-900NGs.[14]

In February 2013, John Mirenge announced that the airline would fly to Accra, Cape Town, Harare, Juba, and Zanzibar.[15]

In May 2015, RwandAir officially became an IATA member.[16]

2015 - present

In 2017, the Government of Benin granted RwandAir seventh freedom rights to operate direct flights from Benin. RwandAir plans to base two Boeing 737 aircraft at Cotonou International Airport in Benin.[17]

In February 2020, two months after Qatar Airways purchased a 60% stake in Rwanda's Bugesera International Airport,[18] the Qatari state-owned airline purchased a 49% stake in RwandAir.[19] [20]

Flight Pass[21]

In 2019, RwandAir entered into a partnership with USA-based Optiontown to launch a prepaid flight subscription platform called Flight Pass, which enables customers to pre-purchase RwandAir flights at the best available price and decide when they want to travel at a later date.[22]

In September 2022, the airline's intentions in joining Oneworld, with a sponsorship from Qatar Airways, were announced.[23] This would make RwandAir the third airline to enter an airline alliance in East Africa, after Ethiopian Airlines (Star Alliance) and Kenya Airways (SkyTeam), and second African airline after Royal Air Maroc to join Oneworld.

Corporate affairs

Ownership and management

Rwandair is owned 100 percent by the Government of Rwanda.[24] As of May 2021, an agreement to sell a 49 percent stake to Qatar Airways is said to be in the final stages.[25] [26]

The government hoped to privatise the airline after 2013, once it became profitable; the process had been abandoned in 2008 after it emerged that nobody at the time was willing to offer the amount expected from the sale.[27]

RwandAir's board of directors is responsible for ensuring that the airline follows a suitable corporate governance framework to ensure the creation and protection of value for the shareholder. Patricie Uwase is currently the Chairman of RwandAir since September 2021; the long-time aviation veteran Girma Wake was chairman from 2012 to 2017.[2] Yvonne Manzi Makolo is the current CEO, having been promoted from deputy CEO, in charge of Corporate Affairs, in April 2018. She replaced acting CEO Col. Chance Ndagano.[3]

Business trends

RwandAir has been loss-making for many years.

Full detailed accounts are rarely published, although intermittently some figures are made public by senior management or the government, or in government budgetary reports. Available trends are shown below (as at year ending 31 December):

2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
Turnover (FRw bn)30
Turnover (US$ m)47.281.495.399.9126.0171.3221.6
Net profit before tax and grant (FRw bn)
Net profit before tax and grant (US$ m)
Government grant/subsidy received (FRw bn)10.825.222.027.029.133.649.686.3107.0127.9
Government grant/subsidy received (US$ m)54.228.556.353.898.1111.1143.2
Number of employees (at year end)749136013671692
Number of passengers (m)0.130.200.360.410.50 0.600.590.891.141.17
Passenger load factor (%)6059545963
Number of aircraft (at year end) 8888812121212
Notes/sources[28] [29] [30] [31]
[32]
[33] 		[34]
[35] 		[36] [37]
[38] [39] 		[40]
[41] [42] [43] 		[44] [45] [46] [47] [48]

Head office

The airline has its head office on the top floor of the main building of Kigali International Airport in Kigali, Rwanda.[49] [50] The airline previously had its head office in Centenary House in Kigali.[51] The airline began moving its operations from Centenary House to the airport on Friday 14 May 2010. The airline was scheduled to be moved in by Monday 17 May 2010.[50] At one previous point the airline had its head office in the Telcom House.[52]

Destinations

As of November 2023, the airline serves 21 countries on 36 routes.[53]

RwandAir serves the following destinations as of May 2023:[54] [55]

CountryCityAirportNotesRefs
BelgiumBrusselsBrussels Airport[56] [57]
BeninCotonouCadjehoun Airport
BurundiBujumburaBujumbura International Airport
CameroonDoualaDouala International Airport
ChinaGuangzhouGuangzhou Baiyun International Airport[58] [59]
KinshasaN'djili Airport
EthiopiaAddis AbabaAddis Ababa Bole International Airport[60]
FranceParisCharles de Gaulle Airport[61]
GabonLibrevilleLéon-Mba International Airport
GhanaAccraKotoka International Airport
GuineaConakryAhmed Sékou Touré International Airport
IndiaMumbaiChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport[62]
IsraelTel AvivBen Gurion Airport[63] [64]
AbidjanFélix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport
KenyaMombasaMoi International Airport
NairobiJomo Kenyatta International Airport
MaliBamakoBamako–Sénou International Airport
NigeriaAbujaNnamdi Azikiwe International Airport
LagosMurtala Muhammed International Airport
QatarDohaHamad International Airport[65]
BrazzavilleMaya-Maya Airport
RwandaBugeseraBugesera International Airport
CyanguguKamembe Airport
KigaliKigali International Airport
SenegalDakarBlaise Diagne International Airport
Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport
South AfricaCape TownCape Town International Airport
JohannesburgO. R. Tambo International Airport
JubaJuba International Airport
Dar es SalaamJulius Nyerere International Airport
KilimanjaroKilimanjaro International Airport
UgandaEntebbeEntebbe International Airport
United Arab EmiratesDubaiDubai International Airport
United KingdomLondonGatwick Airport
Heathrow Airport
ZambiaLusakaKenneth Kaunda International Airport
ZimbabweHarareRobert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport

Codeshare agreements

RwandAir codeshares with the following airlines:

Fleet

The RwandAir fleet comprises the following aircraft as of July 2023:[71] [72]

RwandAir fleet
AircraftIn
service		OrdersPassengersNotes
BE+ETotal
Airbus A330-2002 - 2021203244
Airbus A330-3001 - 3021223274
Boeing 737-700[73] 1 - 12 - 108120
Boeing 737-8006 - 16 - 138154
Bombardier CRJ900ER2 - 7 - 6875
2 - 7 - 6067[74]
Cargo fleet
Boeing 737-800BCF11Cargo[75]
Total141

Historical fleet

Since its founding in 2002, RwandAir has operated the following aircraft:[76]

RwandAir historical fleet!Aircraft!Total!Introduced!Retired!Notes
Boeing 737-500120032004Leased from Maersk Air
320072013
Bombardier CRJ-200LR320092012
De Havilland DHC-8-100120102014
De Havilland DHC-8-200220042009
McDonnell Douglas MD-82320042007

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: RwandAir on ch-aviation . 2023-11-21 . ch-aviation . en.
  2. Web site: RwandAir gets new board chair . Mwai . 18 May 2018 . 9 November 2017 . Collins . . Kigali.
  3. Web site: Yvonne Makolo: Kagame appoints female CEO for national carrier, RwandAir . 8 April 2018 . 18 May 2018 . Africanews.com . Abdur Rahman and Alfa Shaban . Brazzaville.
  4. Web site: Jim . Rwandair opens Cotonou hub in late-August 2017 . 11 September 2017 . Liu . 18 May 2018 . Routesonline.com . Manchester, United Kingdom.
  5. Web site: RwandAir picks Accra as hub for flights to US. 22 February 2021.
  6. Web site: RwandAir plans further regional expansion in 2015 and launch of long-haul services in 2017 . CAPA Centre for Aviation . 21 December 2014 . 18 May 2018 . CAPA Centre for Aviation . Sydney, Australia.
  7. Web site: 18 May 2018 . RwandAir Appoints UK Firm To Handle Its Cargo Services In Europe . Daniel Sabiiti . 29 June 2017 . KTPress Rwanda . Kigali.
  8. Web site: Alliance spreads into Central Africa . Yates . Chris . 18 May 2018. Flightglobal.com Archiving Air Transport Magazine . 1997 . Archived from the Original.
  9. Web site: 11 November 2016. RwandAir gets safety certification for its ground operations . Peterson Tumwebaze . . 18 May 2018 . Kigali.
  10. Web site: RwandAir changing country's aviation industry through enhanced aviation skills . 18 May 2018 . 25 August 2014 . Peterson Tumwebaze . . Kigali.
  11. Web site: 18 May 2018 . Mirenge new CEO of RwandaAir . 29 October 2010 . Peterson Tumwebaze . Kigali . . 19 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180519122343/http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/25449 . dead .
  12. Web site: Another RwandAir Boeing arrives . 18 May 2018. 23 August 2010 . Peterson Tumwebaze . Kigali . New Times (Rwanda).
  13. Web site: 18 May 2018 . RwandAir's new Boeing 737-800NB plane lands . 28 August 2011 . . Kigali . Peterson Tumwebaze.
  14. Web site: RwandAir: Daring to dream . 3 May 2017 . 18 May 2018 . Flightcommagazine.com . Flightcommagazine.com.
  15. Web site: RwandAir eyes Harare route . 26 January 2016. Business Reporter. NewsDay Quoting Bloomberg News. Harare. 13 February 2013.
  16. Web site: 26 January 2016. Global umbrella gives RwandAir kudos . 24 January 2016. Agnes. Bateta. . Kampala.
  17. Web site: 18 May 2018 . David . RwandAir launches Cotonou hub as Benin and Rwanda plan new airline . Casey . 3 August 2017 . Routesonline.com . Manchester, United Kingdom.
  18. Web site: Qatar Airways in talks to buy 49% stake in Rwanda's state carrier. Al Jazeera. 5 February 2020.
  19. Web site: Qatar Airways confirms purchase of 49% stake in RwandAir. 10 February 2020. 10 February 2020. The Africa Report.
  20. Web site: Qatar Airways in Talks to Buy 49% RwandAir Stake, Interested in Increasing LATAM Investment. 5 February 2020. The New York Times.
  21. Web site: RwandAir Flight Pass. RwandAir Flight Pass. 13 March 2020.
  22. News: The New Times. The New Times. 25 December 2019. 13 March 2020.
  23. Web site: RWANDAIR WILL JOIN ONEWORLD ALLIANCE. Live and let's Fly. 15 September 2022.
  24. Web site: 18 May 2018 . RwandAir May Offer Shares After Returning to Profit in Two Years . Saul Butera . 12 February 2013 . Bloomberg.com.
  25. Web site: Govt in final talks with Qatar Airways over RwandAir equity. Logistics Update Africa. 26 March 2021.
  26. Web site: Kigali in final talks with Qatar over RwandAir equity. ch-Aviation. 22 March 2021.
  27. Web site: 18 May 2018 . RwandAir to be sold after becoming profitable – Finance Minister . 4 September 2010 . Rwanda News Agency (RNA) . RNA Reporter . Kigali . 19 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180519120911/http://www.rnanews.com/politics/4122-rwandair-to-be-sold-after-becoming-profitable-finance-minister . dead .
  28. Web site: RwandAir could be privatised in 2015 as Umubano deal drags on . Ivan Mugisha . 24 January 2013 . 19 May 2018 . . Kigali.
  29. Web site: Ministry of Finance And Economic Planning: Budget Execution Report For The Fiscal Year 2009/10 . 19 May 2018 . September 2010 . Kigali . Ministry of Finance And Economic Planning (Minecofin) . 12 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170212161415/http://www.minecofin.gov.rw/fileadmin/templates/documents/BUdget_Management_and_Reporting_Unit/Budget_Execution_Reports/2009-2010_Annual_Budget_Execution_Report.pdf . dead .
  30. Web site: Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning: Budget Execution Report For The Fiscal Year 2010/11 . 19 May 2018 . Kigali . Ministry of Finance And Economic Planning (Minecofin) . October 2011 . 15 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171215150638/http://www.minecofin.gov.rw/fileadmin/templates/documents/BUdget_Management_and_Reporting_Unit/Budget_Execution_Reports/2010-2011_Annual_Budget_Execution_Report.pdf . dead .
  31. Web site: RwandAir expands fleet as competition hots up . 19 May 2018 . 5 November 2012 . Jenny Clover . . Nairobi.
  32. Web site: RwandAir targets $350 million sales by 2018 . Kabona . 12 April 2013 . 19 May 2018 . Esiara . . Nairobi . 19 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180519120959/http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/Rwanda/Business/RwandAir-targets-USD350m-sales-by-2018-/-/1433224/1746876/-/view/printVersion/-/cehm8oz/-/index.html . dead .
  33. Web site: Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning: Budget Speech for the Financial Year 2012/13 . 19 May 2018 . 14 June 2012 . Kigali . Ministry of Finance And Economic Planning (Minecofin) . 12 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170212161348/http://www.minecofin.gov.rw/fileadmin/templates/documents/BUdget_Management_and_Reporting_Unit/Budget_Speeches/2012-2013_Budget_Speech.pdf . dead .
  34. Web site: Ministry of Finance And Economic Planning: Budget Execution Report For The Financial Year 2012/2013 . September 2013 . Kigali . Ministry of Finance And Economic Planning (Minecofin) . 19 May 2018 . 12 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170212161359/http://www.minecofin.gov.rw/fileadmin/templates/documents/BUdget_Management_and_Reporting_Unit/Budget_Execution_Reports/2012-2013_Annual_Budget_Execution_Report.pdf . dead .
  35. Web site: Ministry of Finance And Economic Planning: Budget Execution Report for The Fiscal Year 2013/14 . September 2014 . Kigali . Ministry of Finance And Economic Planning (Minecofin) . 19 May 2018 . 21 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180921105709/http://www.minecofin.gov.rw/fileadmin/templates/documents/BUdget_Management_and_Reporting_Unit/Budget_Execution_Reports/2013-2014_Annual_Budget_Execution_Report.pdf . dead .
  36. Web site: 27 January 2016 . RwandAir Rising, Adding Aircraft, Flights To Europe, Asia . Dana . Sanchez . 19 May 2018 . AFKInsider.com.
  37. Web site: RwandAir to Add Europe Destination, Four Aircraft This Year . 19 May 2018 . 27 January 2016 . . Saul . Butera.
  38. Web site: Transport Sector Bulletin 2014/15 . 19 May 2018 . June 2015 . Kigali . Rwanda Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (Minifra) . Minifra . 19 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180519121632/http://www.mininfra.gov.rw/fileadmin/user_upload/Transport_Quarterly_Bulletin_Version_1.pdf . dead .
  39. Web site: Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning: Budget Framework Paper 2015/2016, 2016/2017 & 2017/2018 . April 2015 . Kigali . Ministry of Finance And Economic Planning (Minecofin) . 19 May 2018.
  40. Web site: Kagame's RwandAir Lost US$54.8 Million In 2016 . 23 November 2019 . 16 May 2018. Medium.com . David . Himbara.
  41. Web site: Rwandair growth and still no profits . 23 November 2019 . 12 February 2019. Airliners.net .
  42. Web site: AFRAA Annual Report 2017. AFRAA. 2017. 21 February 2020. 15 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190115023117/https://afraa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/AFRAA-Annual-Report-2017-1.pdf. dead.
  43. Web site: APPLICATION OF RWANDAIR LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY FOR AMENDINGFOREIGN AIR CARRIER PERMIT. US Department of Transport. 2021.
  44. Web site: AFRAA Annual Report 2018. AFRAA. 2018.
  45. Web site: AFRAA Annual Report 2019. airliners.net forum. 12 February 2019.
  46. Web site: Rwandair growth: Ministry of Finance subsidies. AFRAA. 2019.
  47. Web site: BUDGET EXECUTION REPORT JULY 2019 - JUNE 2020. MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC PLANNING. August 2020. 14 January 2021. 15 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210115110322/http://www.minecofin.gov.rw/fileadmin/templates/documents/Budget_Management_and_Reporting_Unit/Budget_Execution_Reports/2019-2020_Budget_Execution_Reports/2019_2020_Annual_Budget_Execution_Report/Budget_Execution_Report_July__2019-_June_2020__15082020_.pdf. dead.
  48. Web site: Rwandair growth 2019. AFRAA. 2020.
  49. "All RwandAir Offices & Branches ." RwandAir. Retrieved on 24 May 2011. "Kigali Head Office Kigali International Airport Main Building (top floor)"
  50. "Announcement on RwandAir Head Office shift from Centenary House to new airport office." RwandAir. Retrieved on 16 June 2010.
  51. [Flight International]
  52. "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 30 March - 5 April 2004. 61. "Telcom House, Boulevard delumuganda, Kigli, Kacyiru"
  53. Web site: 2023-11-21 . RwandAir Flights and Destinations - mFlightConnections . 2023-11-21 . www.flightconnections.com . en.
  54. Web site: Rwandair flight schedule . 19 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131008103542/http://www.rwandair.com/plan-your-flight/schedule-map.html . dead . 8 October 2013 . Rwandair . Rwandair . 15 August 2013 . Kigali.
  55. Web site: 19 May 2018 . Rwandair adds new African destinations in 2Q18 . 14 February 2018 . Liu . Jim . Routesonline.com . Manchester, United Kingdom.
  56. Web site: Rwandair schedules Brussels mid-July 2017 debut . 19 March 2018 . 28 June 2017 . Jim Liu . Routesonline.com.
  57. Web site: RwandAir to Resume Service to London and Brussels. businesstravelnews.com. 18 September 2020. 19 September 2020.
  58. Web site: Rwandair schedules Guangzhou launch in June 2019. RoutesOnline. 22 March 2019. 22 March 2019.
  59. News: Coronavirus live updates . 31 January 2020 . New York Times. 31 January 2020 .
  60. Web site: Rwandair adds Addis Ababa service from April 2019. routesonline.com. 4 January 2019.
  61. Web site: Rwandair Schedules late-June 2023 Paris Launch . Aeroroutes . 14 April 2023.
  62. Web site: Rwandair discontinues Mumbai service from mid-March 2024. AeroRoutes. 5 March 2024.
  63. Web site: Rwandair schedules Tel Aviv launch in June 2019. RoutesOnline. 14 May 2019. 14 May 2019.
  64. Web site: COVID-19 (Corona Virus) Updates and Travel Guidelines to Our Network . Rwandair. 2020. 27 December 2023.
  65. Web site: Hamad International Airport welcomes RwandAir's direct flights from Kigali to Doha . Hamad International Airport . 2 December 2021 . 5 December 2021 . 17 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220117013952/https://dohahamadairport.com/media/hamad-international-airport-welcomes-rwandair%E2%80%99s-direct-flights-kigali-doha . dead .
  66. Web site: 17 April 2009 . Rwandair in code sharing agreement with Brussels Airlines . Peterson Tumwebaze . . Kigali . 19 May 2018.
  67. Web site: Rwandair strikes code share deal with Ethiopian Airlines . Peterson . Tumwebaze . 8 September 2009 . . Kigali.
  68. Web site: Code-share partners. qatarairways.com. November 12, 2021.
  69. Web site: RwandAir, South African Airways partner . Peterson . Tumwebaze . 6 November 2013 . 19 May 2018 . . Kigali.
  70. Web site: FlyWestair | Book Our Flights Online & Save | Low-Fares, Offers & More.
  71. Web site: RwandAir Fleet Summary: as at 26 October 2015. 19 May 2018. 3 November 2015. CAPA Centre for Aviation . CAPA Centre for Aviation . Sydney, Australia.
  72. Global Airline Guide 2017 (Part Two). Airliner World . November 2017. 30.
  73. Web site: RwandAir Express acquires new Boeing 737-700. 19 May 2018. 18 April 2013. African Manager. Africanmanager.com. Tunis.
  74. Web site: Bombardier Aerospace. Bombardier Delivers Dual-Class Q400 NextGen Airliner to RwandAir. 19 May 2018. 27 February 2014. Bombardier. Toronto.
  75. Web site: RwandAir to add a B737-800 P2F freighter. Ch-Aviation. 21 November 2022.
  76. Web site: RwandAir Fleet. planespotters.net. 2023-07-21.

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