In December 2015, RwandAir signed a lease agreement with Aircraft Lease Corporation, an American based lessor to acquire two brand new Boeing 737-800 Next Generation. The deliveries of the two aircraft named Kalisimbi and Muhabura are on 16th November 2016 and May 2017 respectively.
RwandAir becomes the first airline in Africa and second globally to acquire a Boeing 737-800NG equipped with inflight connectivity on a line-fit program.
The The 154-seater aircraft in a dual- class cabin configuration are identical to the two Boeing 737-800NG with the first Boeing Sky Interior in Africa purchased six years ago.
“The proven operating economics and passenger comfort make the aircraft, the right equipment to deploy on our medium haul flights and as we continue to expand our network, we are delighted to offer a Wi-Fi fully connected aircraft to serve today’s sophisticated traveler”; said John Mirenge, Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir RwandAir’s young fleet will grow to twelve aircraft and its capacity in terms of seats will double with the acquisition of the fourth B737-800NG and its second A330 (300 series).
This month, the airline obtained its ISAGO (IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations) certification in addition to the IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) certificate which was renewed mid this year.
Note to Editors:
From Kigali as its hub in the heart of Africa, RwandAir an IATA member airline, reaches out to nineteen cities in Western, Eastern, and Southern Africa and the Middle East. RwandAir operates one of the youngest fleet in Africa and is well reputed for an excellent on time performance, safety, and customer services.
As part of RwandAir’s expansion strategy, in September this year, the airline received its first wide-bodied A330 (200 series) aircraft. RwandAir will receive its fourth B737-800NG in May 2017, and its second A330 (300 series), on 30th November 2016. The airline will in 2017 add four more destinations in Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States of America.
For more information, please email: communications@rwandair.com
On 30th November 2016, RwandAir the national flag carrier of the Republic of Rwanda took delivery of its second Airbus A330 (300 series) at the Airbus delivery centre, Toulouse France.
The ferry flight of “Umurage” the brand new A330-300 is expected to depart on 1st December 2016 in the morning hours from Toulouse and arrive the same day at 16hrs at Kigali International Airport.
The A330-300 is a Wi-Fi enabled state of the art equipment, configured in a triple class layout but larger than “Ubumwe” the A330-200 that arrived two months ago. The aircraft is powered by Rolls Royce Trent 772B engines.
“With a capacity of carrying 274 passengers and 132.20 cubic meters cargo , we are proudly re-affirming our plans for long haul operations connecting Rwanda , the region and the continent to the rest of the World”, said John Mirenge, RwandAir’s Chief Executive Officer.
This acquisition takes RwandAir’s young and modern fleet to eleven aircraft which includes three aircraft equipped with inflight connectivity.
RwandAir’s fleet expansion is in line with its plans to launch more destinations in 2017; starting with a new link to Harare via Lusaka connecting into Kigali to the rest of the network by mid-January. Mumbai, London, Lilongwe, Bamako, Conakry and New York will also follow in the course of the same year.
About RwandAir
From Kigali as its hub at the heart of Africa, RwandAir well reputed for an excellent on time performance is one of the safest airlines and operates one of the youngest fleet on the African continent. With eleven aircraft, the young airline reaches out to nineteen cities in Western, Eastern, Southern Africa and the Middle East.
RwandAir is a certified IOSA operator and an IATA member airline; the airline has also recently obtained its IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) certification. This year, RwandAir received East Africa’s first wide-bodied brand new Airbus A330s in a triple class configuration and Africa’s first Boeing 737-800NG equipped with inflight connectivity on a line-fit program.
In 2017, RwandAir will expand into long haul operations and increase frequencies on routes with increased demand; more routes on the continent will be launched with another Wi-Fi connected Boeing 737-800NG joining the young fleet mid same year.
Regarding the publication of The Guardian (Nigeria), dated 8th December 2016, on RwandAir.
RwandAir wishes to notify its esteemed audience that the entire article is erroneous, wrong, misinformed and invalid.
There is no basis whatsoever for what the story tries to portray or to insinuate. RwandAir has no intention of withdrawing its operations to and from Nigeria rather it has all intentions of growing in frequency and capacity in this market that it has been serving for the past five years.
Furthermore, the only authorized person to speak to the media on behalf of the airline in Nigeria is the Country Manager, Ms. Ibiyemi Odusi, and as such it is regrettable that the Guardian did not make any efforts to contact her to verify their article ahead of publication.
RwandAir requests that The Guardian immediately retract this fictitious article.
Kigali, 23rd December 2016 – RwandAir cooperated with Airbus Foundation and Aviation Sans Frontières to deliver humanitarian goods to Rwanda. The goods weighing 1.2 tons were to be donated during this Christmas festive season.
They include clothes, toys and medical supplies, including support equipment such as wheelchairs and canes for women, men and children, and were given to “Izere Mubyeyi” a Kigali based NGO which specializes on intellectually and physically disabled children and youth.
As part of RwandAir’s social responsibility strategy, the airline continues to participate in economic, social and environmental development initiatives in the various markets it serves.
“As the national carrier of the Rwanda, we are not only focusing on our growth but also
contributing more to our community. This partnership has helped us bring joy and love in the hearts of Rwandan children and their families during this festive season” said John Mirenge, RwandAir Chief Executive Officer.
Izere Mubyeyi has continuously sensitized the community on the rights of children and youth with intellectual disabilities and has tremendously contributed for over a decade to the education, physical and psychological recovery of these children. The NGO’s center takes care of 122 children between the ages of one and twenty seven years old.
“We are extremely grateful to RwandAir and partners for this noble initiative in offering support to children and youth with intellectual and physical disabilities. May God Bless you abundantly!” said Agnes Mukashyaka, the Coordinator of Izere Mubyeyi
Kigali – 2nd February 2017, RwandAir has partnered with Wirecard AG for its online card payment processing services. As one of the leading specialist for payment processing and issuing services, Wirecard will enable customers that wish to book their flights online at www.rwandair.com to pay with Visa, MasterCard, Diners/Discover, JCB, China UnionPay or Maestro cards.
John Mirenge, the Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir stated that, “Our values commit us to continuously pursue excellence in everything we do. Wirecard’s first-class global coverage and optimum technical structure ensures that our passengers will have a smooth online booking and ticketing experience”.
Eckart Reiche, Head of Sales Airlines at Wirecard, added: “The collaboration with RwandAir confirms our commitment to Africa as well as our readiness to support the rapidly growing African airline market with our efficient payment platform. RwandAir is an innovative partner that uses state of the art technology and services to optimize processes, costs and profits. In our role as technology providers, Wirecard therefore identifies great potential in this partnership.
The Wirecard Group supports all sales channels with credit card acceptance. Wirecard is a principal member of Visa and MasterCard, as well as having acquiring license agreements with JCB, American Express, Discover/Diners, UnionPay and UATP.
Wirecard AG is a global technology group that supports companies in accepting electronic payments from all sales channels. As a leading independent supplier, the Wirecard Group offers outsourcing and white label solutions for electronic payments. A global platform bundles international payment acceptances and methods with supplementary fraud prevention solutions.
With regard to issuing own payment instruments in the form of cards or mobile payment solutions, the Wirecard Group provides companies with an end-to-end infrastructure, including the requisite licenses for card and account products.
Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Securities Exchange (TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060, and WDI). For further information about Wirecard, please visit http://www.wirecard.com or follow us on Twitter @wirecard.
About RwandAir
From Kigali as its hub at the heart of Africa, RwandAir well reputed for an excellent on time performance is one of the safest airlines and operates one of the youngest fleet on the African continent. With eleven aircraft, the young airline reaches out to nineteen cities in Western, Eastern, and Southern Africa and in the Middle East. RwandAir is a certified IOSA and ISAGO operator as well as an IATA member airline.
In 2016, RwandAir received East Africa’s first wide-bodied brand new Airbus A330s in a triple class configuration and Africa’s first Boeing 737-800NG equipped with inflight connectivity on a line-fit program. This year, RwandAir will expand into long haul operations and increase frequencies on routes with increased demand; more routes on the continent will be launched with another Wi-Fi connected Boeing 737-800NG joining the young fleet mid-2017.
Kigali, 2nd February 2017. RwandAir, the national carrier of the Republic of Rwanda is pleased to announce that flights to Harare in Zimbabwe and Mumbai in India will commence on 1st and 3rd April 2017 respectively.
The flights to Harare which will be tagged to the existing Lusaka (Zambia) route will be operated daily while the Mumbai flights will be operated non-stop four times per week respectively by our young Bombardier and Boeing Next Generation fleet offering a state of the art dual class cabin.
“We are delighted to enable new and seamless connections between more African cities and beyond the continent which goes along with creating more businesses and boost the various countries’ social and economic development”, said John Mirenge, RwandAir Chief Executive Officer.
The two new destinations will take RwandAir’s growing network to twenty one destinations. The airline will this year launch more destinations including its first long haul flights to London Gatwick in the United Kingdom and New York in the United States of America.
About RwandAir
From Kigali as its hub at the heart of Africa, RwandAir, well reputed for excellent on time performance, is one of the safest airlines and operates one of the youngest fleet on the African continent. With eleven aircraft, the young airline reaches out to nineteen cities in Western, Eastern and Southern Africa and in the Middle East.
In 2016 RwandAir started operations to Cotonou and Abidjan, received its first two wide-body brand new Airbus A330s, East Africa’s first triple class configuration, and its third Boeing 737-800NG. All equipped with inflight connectivity. It also renewed its IOSA certification and has been ISAGO and EASA certified. In 2017, it plans to acquire its fourth Boeing 737-800NG and also to expand its wings to Europe, India and the U.S.A. RwandAir is an IATA member airline.
Kigali, Rwanda – 9 February 2017: The Aviation Africa 2017 conference, organized by Times Aerospace Ltd, and hosted by the Rwandan government will be held in Kigali, Rwanda from 22 to 23 February 2017 at Kigali Convention Center and Radisson Blu. RwandAir and the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority have sponsored the conference in partnership with the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure, the Rwanda Development Board and Akagera Aviation.
This is the second time this two-day conference is being held. The first one was held in May 2015 in Dubai with over 400 delegates participating in the event. This conference and exhibition focuses on different aspects of the aviation industry and discussions will focus on the potential that the aviation sector in Africa holds and also some of the internal and external challenges it faces. There will be many exhibitors from various sectors aircraft manufacturers, MROs, Ground Handling, Training Centers, Consultants, Flight Support and many more.
Aviation players in Africa, including that of Rwanda, will be participating in this important conference. “Aviation being one of the major sectors Rwanda is focusing on for economic growth, this conference will be a strategic platform to showcase how RwandAir has grown in the past few years and where it is headed,” stated John, Mirenge, Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir.
Rwanda was chosen to host this conference because of its welcoming visa policy, its strategic geographic location, its high level of security and its large investment in the tourism, hospitality, and aviation sectors.
About RwandAir
From Kigali as its hub at the heart of Africa, RwandAir well reputed for excellent on time performance, is one of the safest airlines and operates one of the youngest fleet on the African continent. With eleven aircraft, the young airline reaches out to nineteen cities in Western, Eastern, Southern Africa and the Middle East. In 2016 RwandAir started operations to Cotonou and Abidjan and received its first two wide-body brand new Airbus A330s, East Africa’s first triple configuration and its third Boeing 737-800NG. All equipped with inflight connectivity. It has also renewed its IOSA certification and has been ISAGO and EASA certified. In 2017 it plans to acquire its fourth Boeing 737-800NG and also to expand its wings Europe, India and the U.S.A. RwandAir is an IATA member airline.
Kigali, 28th March 2017 – RwandAir, the national carrier of the Republic of Rwanda is pleased to announce that it will commence three weekly flights to London Gatwick International Airport, in the United Kingdom effective 26th May, 2017.
London, one of the world’s leading financial centers becomes RwandAir’s first European and second long haul route. The destination will be served by the newly acquired state of the art Airbus A330 fleet in a triple class configuration with inflight connectivity.
“We are delighted to enable new and seamless connections between London and the whole of our network offering our esteemed customers a differentiated product in terms of comfort, good customer services and affordability”, said John Mirenge, the Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir.
RwandAir has already announced that flights to Mumbai, India and Harare, Zimbabwe will commence in the first week of April 2017. London, will be RwandAir’s twenty second (22) destinations.
About RwandAir
From Kigali as its hub at the heart of Africa, RwandAir, well reputed for excellent on time performance, is one of the safest airlines and operates one of the youngest fleet on the African continent. With eleven aircraft, the young airline currently reaches out to nineteen cities in Western, Eastern and Southern Africa and in the Middle East.
In 2016, RwandAir started operations to Cotonou and Abidjan, received its first two wide-body brand new Airbus A330s, East Africa’s first triple class configuration, and its third Boeing 737-800NG. All equipped with inflight connectivity. It also renewed its IOSA certification and has been ISAGO and EASA certified. In 2017, it plans to acquire its fourth Boeing 737-800NG and also to expand its wings to Guangzhou in China, Bamako in Mali, Conakry in Guinea, Lilongwe in Malawi and New York in the U.S.A. RwandAir is an IATA member airline.
Kigali, 24th May, 2017 – RwandAir, the national carrier of the Republic of Rwanda, is expecting the delivery of another brand new state of the art Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft equipped with inflight connectivity. The new aircraft will land in Kigali on the 28th of May at 16hrs (ETA) and will take RwandAir’s young fleet to a total of 12 aircraft.
This aircraft delivery is part of the lease agreement signed in December 2015 between RwandAir and Aircraft Lease Corporation, an American based lessor to acquire two additional brand new dual class Boeing 737-800NG; the first was delivered in November last year.
“This aircraft will be RwandAir’s fourth of its type. It comes to enable new connections on the continent and beyond, as the airline continues to foster economic exchange between Rwanda and the rest of the world”, said Chance Ndagano, the Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir.
The new Wi-Fi connected Boeing 737-800NG is configured in a dual class cabin comfortably seating 16 passengers in Business Class and 138 in Economy Class.
About RwandAir
From its hub at the heart of Africa at Kigali International Airport, RwandAir is reputed for its excellency in on-time performance and safety and has one of the youngest fleet on the African continent. RwandAir, an IATA member airline renewed its IOSA certification in 2016 and has been ISAGO and EASA certified the same year.
With its 11 aircraft (including two wide-body A330) the young airline currently reaches out to 21 cities in Western, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Asia and will begin its flights to the European continent starting 26th May 2017 to London, in the United Kingdom. In April this year, RwandAir started operations to Mumbai, India and Harare, Zimbabwe.
In the third quarter of 2017, RwandAir plans to spread its wings to Bamako (Mali), Conakry (Guinea) and Dakar (Senegal). Later this year, RwandAir’s ever growing network will spread to Guangzhou (China). In 2018, RwandAir is targeting the American market and will fly to New York (U.S.A).
Kigali – 14th June, 2017. RwandAir the national carrier of the Republic of Rwanda is pleased to announce the commencement of non-stop flights from Kigali to Brussels, in Belgium next month. All returning flights from Brussels to Kigali will be via London.
With the new three flights a week between Brussels and Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, which will be operated by the airline’s Airbus A330 fleet configured in a triple class cabin and equipped with inflight connectivity, RwandAir offers a differentiated product in terms of passenger comfort and convenience.
Brussels, Belgium’s fascinating capital and the administrative capital of the European Union, is mainly known for centuries of history, renaissance architecture and monuments. The city’s main attractions include the Grand-Place, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Bronzed Manneken-Pis and admirable green spaces such as the “Parc du Cinquantenaire”, Belgian Independence Monument.
“Adding Brussels to our fast growing network, reaffirms our commitment to create new
opportunities for both continents with smooth connections from cities with high demand and will go a long way in boosting trade and tourism”, said Chance Ndagano, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir.
The launch of flights to Brussels comes after the airline’s successful entry into the London market last month (May). The new route takes RwandAir’s network to twenty-three (23) destinations.
About RwandAir
From its hub at the heart of Africa at Kigali International Airport, RwandAir is reputed for its Excellency in on-time performance, customer service and safety, and has one of the youngest fleet on the African continent. RwandAir, an IATA member airline renewed its IOSA certification in 2016 and has been ISAGO and EASA certified the same year.
With a fleet of twelve aircraft including two wide-body Airbus A330 acquired last year (2016), the airline currently reaches out twenty-two destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
In April and May 2017, RwandAir started flying to Mumbai in India, Harare in Zimbabwe and London, in the United Kingdom. In the third quarter of 2017, RwandAir plans to spread its wings to Bamako (Mali), Conakry (Guinea) and Dakar (Senegal). Later this year, RwandAir’s ever growing network will spread to Guangzhou (China). In 2018, RwandAir plans to enter the American market with flights to New York, in the United States of America.
For more information please contact us on: communications@rwandair.com.
APG Air Agencies represents RwandAir in the entire Benelux. You may contact them for all enquiries using contact details below:
APG Air Agencies Belgium & Luxembourg – 0032 2 712 64 28 – rwandair@airagencies.be.
Bosstraat, 13 – 1930 Zaventem.
APG Air Agencies The Netherlands – 0031 20 31 61 974 – rwandair@apg-airagencies.com.
Flamingoweg, 9 room 130 – 1118 EE Schipol.
Kigali – 27th June, 2017. RwandAir, the national carrier of the Republic of Rwanda is pleased to announce that it has enabled Maestro, Discover, Diners and JCB credit cards for online tickets payments.
The four payment methods are adding up to the existing SmartCash, VISA and Master cards. The airline’s Internet Booking Engine (IBE) also allows payment by Mpesa, the mobile-phone based money transfer service.
This is part of RwandAir’s IBE upgrade project that started earlier this year which includes the selection of Wirecard AG, one of Europe’s leading specialist for payment processing service, as RwandAir’s online ticket payment processing provider.
“RwandAir continues to introduce some of the latest industry solutions in order to meet the needs of our customers, for flexible, secure, varied and efficient online payment methods as well as better position itself in this highly competitive industry ” said Chance Ndagano the Acting Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir.
A mobile application and more mobile-based payments, are planned to be introduced with the aim to offer innovative and convenient services to our customers.
About RwandAir
From its hub at the heart of Africa at Kigali International Airport, RwandAir is reputed for its excellency in on-time performance, customer service and safety, and has one of the youngest fleet on the African continent. RwandAir, an IATA member airline renewed its IOSA certification in 2016 and has been ISAGO and EASA certified the same year.
With a fleet of twelve aircraft including two wide-body Airbus A330 acquired last year, the airline currently reaches out to twenty-two destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
In April and May 2017, RwandAir started flying to Mumbai in India, Harare in Zimbabwe and London, in the United Kingdom.
Cotonou – Le 1er Août, 2017. RwandAir, la compagnie aérienne de la République du Rwanda a le plaisir de vous annoncer que le Gouvernement de la République du Bénin lui a octroyé le privilège de la septième liberté de l’air. Le droit de la septième liberté de l’air permet à la compagnie aérienne de baser ses opérations à l’extérieur de sa base domestique et d’opérer entre sa base de la septième liberté et un pays tiers sans l’obligation de retourner sur son territoire.
RwandAir déploiera à Cotonou deux aéronefs Boeing 737 et commencera ses opérations à son deuxième nouveau hub dans un avenir proche.
Par ailleurs, les Gouvernements du Benin et du Rwanda ont signé un protocole d’accord en vue d’établir une compagnie aérienne commune appartenant aux deux pays et basée à Cotonou (Bénin).
«Le lancement de ce hub, va améliorer le transport aérien sur notre continent car RwandAir pourra atteindre plus de pays de l’Afrique Occidentale et Centrale avec de meilleures correspondances et plus de fréquences» a dit Yvonne Manzi Makolo, Directrice Générale Adjointe chargée des Affaires Institutionnelles de RwandAir.
La compagnie aérienne commune des deux pays exploitera des lignes pour le transport des passagers et des marchandises vers Abidjan, Brazzaville, Douala, Libreville, Bamako, Dakar et Conakry.
«Ceci fera du Bénin ce que nous envisageons en matière d’aviation civile en vue de faire de notre plateforme un hub sous régional. La compagnie aérienne viendra concrétiser la deuxième partie de notre rêve, en bénéficiant de l’expérience rwandaise qui permettra le Bénin d’avoir sa compagnie aérienne ainsi favorisant le développement de notre aviation et du tourisme», a dit Son Excellence Hervé Hehomey, le Ministre chargé des Transports et Infrastructures du Bénin.
«Je suis heureux que nos frères Rwandais aient choisi ce jour de la fête nationale pour célébrer avec nous cette coopération qui facilitera l’établissement de la compagnie aérienne Bénino – Rwandaise d’ici la fin de l’année», a dit Son Excellence Aurélien Agbenonci, le Ministre des Affaires Etrangères du Bénin.
“Je tiens à exprimer au nom du Gouvernement de la République du Rwanda, ma profonde reconnaissance au Gouvernement du Bénin d’avoir permis à ce que cette initiative économique audacieuse et sérieuse de se réaliser; je suis très heureuse que les négociations aient abouti à ce résultat bénéfique pour les deux pays”, a dit Son Excellence Louise Mushikiwabo, la Ministre des Affaires Etrangères du Rwanda.
RwandAir continuera d’opérer entre Kigali et Cotonou tout en assurant à la compagnie aérienne commune, l’accès à ses dessertes à travers l‘Afrique de l’Est et Australe, le Moyen-Orient et l’Asie.
A propos de RwandAir
Basée à Kigali au Coeur de l’Afrique, RwandAir jouit d’une excellente réputation en matière de ponctualité, de qualité de service, de sûreté, et gère l’une des plus jeunes flottes du continent Africain. RwandAir est une compagnie aérienne membre de l’Association du Transport Aérien International (IATA) et est certifiée IOSA et ISAGO par celle-ci, ainsi que EASA par l’Agence Européenne de la Sécurité Aérienne.
Avec douze avions notamment deux gros porteurs Airbus A330 acquis l’année passée, la compagnie aérienne dessert vingt-trois villes en Afrique de l’Est, Centrale, de l’Ouest et Australe, au Moyen-Orient, en Europe et en Asie.
Cette année, RwandAir a lancé ses vols vers Mumbai, Harare, Londres (Gatwick)
et Bruxelles. Vers la fin de cette année, RwandAir commencera des vols vers
Guangzhou, et en 2018, la compagnie prévoit de faire son entrée aux États-Unis
d’Amérique avec des vols sur New York.