Airline to keep a young and modern set of four Boeing 737 NG series to reach other continents
Kigali – April 17, 2013
This sunny afternoon, RwandAir acquired a Boeing 737-700NG amidst the presence of high profile government guests and partners. The aircraft performed the customary low-pass and was received with a firemen salute as it was taxiing on the parking bay. In attendance was Honorable Prof. Silas Lwakabamba the Minister of Infrastructure as a guest of honor, the state Minister in charge of transport Honorable Alexis Nzahabwanimana, distinguished guests comprised of the RwandAir steering committee, board of directors, and the management at large.
In his remarks, the CEO of RwandAir, John Mirenge, noted that the new acquisition comes to complement a young and competitive fleet. He said: “Today’s acquisition begins the decommissioning process that we have been anticipating that replaces the two aging Boeing 737-500 leased from GECAS. We expect to receive a similar aircraft in less than one month. We will then own and operate a well-diversified set of four Boeing 737 Next Generation series that are relatively young in operation, offer the latest in cabin amenities and in-flight entertainment and widen our network reach.
This aircraft offers the highest operating range capability, about 6,000 km that could easily offer direct flights to south-western Europe, Minor and Monsoon Asia and the Middle East. We also get to easily cover more western Africa destinations, with the firm intention to launch Accra in Ghana and Douala in Cameroon by June, in approximately 6 weeks.
In his remarks, the guest of honor noted that Kigali is strategically positioned to become the economic turntable where east meets west, and reiterated the government’s commitment to support the airline through the projects of the Ministry of Infrastructure and other sources. The Kigali International Airport is receiving a much needed expansion and the Bugesera Airport project is in good progress. END
Published on: November 23, 2019