Category Archives: RwandAir

RwandAir to operate nonstop to Brussels

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Africa/Airlines-Rwanda/RwandAir/i-GX9BFrF/A

RwandAir, the national carrier of the Republic of Rwanda, has announced that the flight schedule of the Brussels route will become nonstop to Kigali effective October 31, 2017.

RwandAir will continue to offer three weekly flights from/to Brussels on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; however flights from Brussels to Kigali will no longer be operated via London Gatwick which will eliminate the requirement for non-Schengen citizens to hold a UK transit visa and to disembark for rescreening at London Gatwick Airport.

The new schedule was made possible pursuant to negotiations with Gatwick Airport for an earlier slot out of London, enabling our aircraft to return to Brussels ahead of the jet ban.

RwandAir’s state of the art Airbus A330 fleet, configured in a triple class cabin with inflight connectivity will continue to operate the Brussels – Gatwick route and conveniently connect across Africa via Kigali with the following timings.

FLIGHT NO	DAYS	FROM	TO	DEPARTURE TIME (LT)	ARRIVAL TIME (LT)
WB700	Tuesdays & Thursdays	KGL	BRU	8:10	15:50
WB700		BRU	LGW	17:00	17:10
WB701		LGW	BRU	18:30	20:30
WB701		BRU	KGL	21:40	7:10
WB700	Fridays	KGL	BRU	8:40	16:20
WB700		BRU	LGW	17:30	17:40
WB701		LGW	BRU	19:00	21:00
WB701		BRU	KGL	22:10	7:40

With a fleet of twelve aircraft including two wide-body Airbus A330 acquired last year, the airline currently reaches out to twenty-four (24) destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

This year, RwandAir started flights from Kigali to Mumbai, Harare, London (Gatwick) and Brussels as well as Dakar from its new hub in Cotonou. RwandAir also introduced flights to Abidjan, Libreville and Brazzaville from the hub in Cotonou and will start operations to Bamako and Conakry from the same hub by the end of November this year.

Later this year, the airline’s ever growing network will spread to Guangzhou and in 2018, RwandAir plans to enter the American market with flights to New York, in the USA.

RwandAir takes delivery of its first Airbus A330-200

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/World-Airline-News/World-Airline-News-Sep-2016/i-7vmnLmn/A

On September 28, 2016 RwandAir took delivery of a new 244-seat Airbus A330-200, named “Ubumwe” (Unity).

The aircraft is the first Airbus A330-200 in East Africa. A second copy will be delivered in November 2016.

The new type is expected to be assigned initially to the Dubai route.

RwandAir is also planning to add new service to Harare, Zimbabwe, Mumbai, India, and Guangzhou, China before expanding to western Europe.

The Rwandair fleet is now nine aircraft.

RwandAir firms up its order for one Airbus A330-200 and one A330-300

RwandAir (Kigali), the national flag carrier of the Republic of Rwanda, has signed a firm contract with Airbus for an A330-200 and a larger A330-300, at a signature ceremony in Kigali, Rwanda. With this order RwandAir becomes a new Airbus customer and is the first East African customer for the long-haul airliner. This agreement firms up a commitment announced earlier this year.
Aircraft deliveries will begin in the second half of 2016, enabling the country’s carrier to deploy its new flagship aircraft on medium and long-haul routes serving destinations in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

The two aircraft will feature a three class cabin layouts. The A330-200 will have 244 seats (20 business class, 21 premium and 203 economy class) and the A330-300 will have 274 seats (30 business class, 21 premium and 223 economy class). The aircraft will be equipped with Rolls Royce Trent 772B engines.

To date the A330 Family, which spans 250 to 300 seats, has attracted more than 1,500 orders and around 1,200 A330s are flying worldwide with over 100 operators. Ever since the original A330-300 entered service, its hallmarks are its very efficient operating economics, innovative cabin features, while offering passengers much wider economy-class seats than any competing aircraft. Moreover, with numerous product improvements and with an operational reliability of 99.4 percent, the A330 is the most cost-efficient and capable aircraft in its class.

Image: Airbus.

RwandAir aircraft slide show:

RwandAir signs MOU for two Airbus A330s

RwandAir (Kigali), the national flag carrier of the Republic of Rwanda, has signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) for two Airbus A330s. The agreement makes RwandAir a new Airbus customer and the first airline in East Africa to order the A330.

RwandAir’s A330s will be delivered in the second half of 2016 and will be equipped with Rolls Royce Trent 772B engines.

Rwanda’s flagship carrier will deploy the new A330 aircraft on medium and long haul routes from their Kigali home base to long-haul destinations throughout Europe, the Middle-East and Asia.

Image: Airbus.

RwandAir aircraft slide show:

RwandAir takes delivery of its first Bombardier Q400

RwandAir (Kigali, Rwand) and Bombardier Yesterday (February 27) celebrated the delivery of a dual-class Bombardier DHC-8-402 (9XR-WL, msn 4464) (marketed as the Q400). RwandAir’s order for the aircraft was announced on April 22, 2013.

RwandAir is now one of 15 operators of Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft in Africa, and its Q400 NextGen aircraft joins more than 55 Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft that are already in service, or ordered for operation, in 12 countries in Africa. RwandAir is also now the fourth airline operating the dual-class Q400 NextGen aircraft among the five customers that have ordered this configuration to date.

In other news, RwandAir will launch a new route to Doula, Cameroon on March 30, 2014 with four weekly flights departing Kigali every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

RwandAir will operate the new with the new Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft equipped with 7 Business Class and 68 Economy Class seats. The aircraft also operates daily services to Nairobi, Entebbe, Dar es Salaam, Bujumbura and Brazzaville via Kigali.

All images and photos by RwandAir.

Cabin photos of the new Q400:

RwandAir orders a single Bombardier Q400

RwandAir (Kigali) has signed a firm purchase agreement for one 67-seat Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) NextGen turboprop airliner.

The new type will complement the existing Bombardier CRJ900s.

RwandAir will become the 12^th operator of Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft in Africa, and its Q400 NextGen aircraft will join more than 40 Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft that are already in service with, or have been ordered by, 11 operators in nine countries in Africa.

Image: Bombardier.

RwandAir:

RwandAir would like to double its fleet in the next five years

RwandAir (Kigali) would like to more than double its fleet in the next five years, including possibly adding the Boeing 787 Dreamliner according to this article by Reuters. The government airline added its first Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) (9XR-WH) (msn 15286) on October 17, 2012.

Besides the CRJ900, the fleet consists of two Next-Generation Boeing 737- 800s, two Boeing 737- 500s and a DHC-8-100.The new CRJ900s are replacing older and smaller 50-seat CRJ200s.

Read the full article: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: James Helbock. The first Boeing 737-800, the pictured 737-84Y 9XR-WF (msn 40892), was added to the fleet on August 25, 2011, direct from Boeing. The airline is also the first to operate the 737 with the new Sky Interior in Africa.

RwandAir:

RwandAir orders two Bombardier CRJ900s

RwandAir (Kigali) has signed a firm order for two CRJ900 NextGen regional jets from Bombardier.

Image: Bombardier.

RwandAir Slide Show: CLICK HERE

RwandAir plans to sell its two Bombardier CRJ200s

RwandAir Bombardier CRJ200 (CL-600-2B19) D-ACHG (msn 7439) CGN (Rainer Bexten), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

RwandAir (Kigali) according to this report by AllAfrica.com is planning to sell its two Bombardier CRJ200s.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

RwandAir Slide Show: CLICK HERE

Boeing delivers RwandAir’s first 737 Boeing Sky Interior

RwandAir Boeing 737-84Y WL 9XR-WF (msn 40892) BFI (Rick Schlamp) (1st 737-800), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

Boeing (Chicago) has delivered a Next-Generation 737 with the new Boeing Sky Interior to RwandAir (Kigali), making it the first African carrier to own and operate Boeing’s innovative interior. The delivery also is the first direct-purchase 737 in RwandAir’s fleet.

The Boeing Sky Interior introduces new cove lighting and curving architecture that create a distinctive entry way. Passengers will enjoy a more open cabin and a soft blue sky overhead simulated by light-emitting diode (LED) lighting. The new interior also brings new, modern, sculpted sidewalls and window reveals to draw passengers’ eyes to the view outside the window.

As part of Boeing’s Humanitarian Delivery Flights program, Boeing partnered with RwandAir and Operation USA on this delivery flight to deliver 1,500 science and other educational books to the Rotary Club of Kigali. The science books will be accepted by Rwanda’s Ministry of Education and distributed to high schools and universities throughout the country. The remaining books will be distributed to the Kigali Public Library – Rwanda’s first public library.

Operation USA is an international relief agency that helps communities around the globe overcome the effects of disasters, disease and endemic poverty. Since 1979, the organization has been providing privately-funded relief, reconstruction and development aid by working with grass-roots partners to provide material and financial assistance necessary in the face of a disaster as well as to combat the effects of systemic poverty.