RwandAir on November 24 too delivery of its first dedicated cargo aircraft as the carrier expands its fleet.
The Boeing 737-800SF, which is painted in RwandAir’s first cargo livery, will be based at the carrier’s Kigali hub.
RwandAir will operate the new freighter to a number of key destinations in Africa and the Middle East, including Johannesburg, Nairobi, and the United Arab Emirates.
RwandAir currently operates to a variety of destinations across East, Central, West, and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia.
The ambitious African airline has been operating flights to London via Brussels for the past five years, but from today, November 7, they have been replaced with a new nonstop direct service to cater for demand.
Customers will be able to fly four times a week departing Heathrow for the Rwandan capital as the WB711 at 20:30 every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, arriving at 07:00 the following morning.
The returning flight, WB710 departs Kigali each Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 23:35, arriving into London at 06:20 the following morning.
The airline has flown between London and Kigali since May 2017 via an indirect service through Brussels, having launched flights from London Gatwick on May 26, 2017 (top).
In 2020, after three successful years, the African airline switched flights to Heathrow, helping to improve connections for travellers.
RwandAir currently serves 28 destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
Video:
Top Copyright Photo: RwandAir Airbus A330-243 9XR-WN (msn 1741) LGW (Antony J. Best). Image: 942325.
RwandAir Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) 9XR-WM (msn 4498) operating flight WB 601 from Kigali overran the runway on landing at Kamembe, Rwanda on October 22. The aircraft came to a stop in the grass. There were no reported injuries.
#RT@SMSFactorHumano: RT @JacdecNew: Rwandair DHC-8-400 (9XR-WM, built 2015) overran the end of runway 20 at Kamembe (HRZA), Rwanda coming to a stop on soft ground at the edge of a steep embankment. All on board flight #WB601 from Kigali disembarked safe… pic.twitter.com/K25VnDwMgs
RwandAir will launch direct flights between London Heathrow and Kigali on November 6, 2022.
The African airline has been operating flights to London via Brussels for the past five years, but from next month, these will be replaced with a new non-stop service to cater to increased customer demand.
The new direct flights will operate four times a week, an increase from the airline’s current indirect three times a week service.
Flights will depart Kigali each Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 23:35, arriving in London at 06:20 the following morning.
The return flight departs the British capital at 20:30 each Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, arriving at RwandAir’s home hub at 07:00 the following morning.
The airline has flown between London and Kigali since May 2017, via an indirect service, through Brussels, having launched flights from London Gatwick on 26 May 2017.
In 2020, after three successful years of operations, the African carrier airline switched flights to Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, helping to significantly improve connections for those traveling from further afield.
RwandAir currently serves 28 destinations across East, Central, West, and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia.
Top Copyright Photo: RwandAir Airbus A330-343 9XR-WP (msn 1759) BRU (Ton Jochems). Image: 941031.
Rwandair flight WB464 to Entebbe International Airport was involved in a runway excursion as a result of bad weather. All passengers and flight crew left the plane with no reported injuries, the airline confirmed in a statement. 📸 • courtesy pic.twitter.com/9hRyQF9YQR
— Uganda Professional Pilots’ Association (@uppa_aviators) April 20, 2022
RwandaAir started the Kigali – Doha route on December 2 as a result of the new code share agreement with Qatar Airways:
Hamad International Airport (HIA) welcomed new direct flights from Rwanda to Qatar, facilitated by the codeshare agreement between Qatar Airways and RwandAir (above).
Qatar Airways and RwandAir have signed a comprehensive codeshare agreement to offer travelers more choice, enhanced service and greater connectivity to more than 65 destinations across Africa and the rest of the world. As part of the deal, the Rwandan flag carrier will also launch new non-stop flights between their Kigali hub and Doha from December.
The agreement benefits travelers from across the globe who fly with both airlines, which expands each carrier’s route network. Passengers can enjoy the simplicity of purchasing connecting flights on both airlines using one seamless reservation system, that simplifies ticketing, check-in, boarding and baggage-check processes for the entire journey.
The new codeshare partnership will enable customers to book attractive offers across different continents like the U.S., Europe and Asia, and enable customers to fly to different cities like New York, Washington D.C., Dallas and Los Angeles, London, Zurich and Madrid, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. The agreement will further increase Qatar Airways’ footprint in Africa, with access to destinations such as Bujumbura, Kinshasa and Lubumbashi.
Additionally, the airlines recently announced loyalty partnerships giving RwandAir Dream Miles and Qatar Airways Privilege Club loyalty members access to each other’s destinations with the opportunity to accrue and redeem miles across their reciprocal route networks. Customers will also have access to the airlines’ airport lounges at their hubs in Doha and Kigali.
Qatar Airways passengers will be able to explore even more of Africa following its new partnership with Rwanda’s flag carrier, RwandAir via their hubs at Doha and Kigali.
As a part of the strategic partnership, the extensive interline agreement will give customers access to the networks of both airlines, providing a seamless travel experience and enhanced customer service including in the frequent flyers programs.
Customers can pick and choose from over 160 destinations in the combined networks of both airlines, which are perfectly connected via their home hubs of Doha and Kigali.
RwandAir operates services throughout Africa and to long-haul destinations including London Heathrow, from its Kigali-based hub.
The airline’s customers will also be able to connect through Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Doha.
Qatar Airways serves Kigali from Doha five times per week via Entebbe, utilizing its sustainable and fuel-efficient Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft. The airline’s customers can transit via Kigali to a diverse range of African destinations including Bujumbura, Brazzaville and Libreville.
RwandAir will become the first African airline to trial IATA Travel Pass to enable safe and seamless international travel. The airline will begin a three-week trial in April for customers travelling between Kigali and Nairobi in Kenya.
IATA Travel Pass is a digital platform to help passengers easily and securely verify that they comply with COVID 19 test or vaccine travel requirements, in turn giving governments the confidence to reopen borders.
Developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the trade association for the world’s airlines, the platform is designed to be incorporated into airlines’ own apps, so travellers by air easily understand what they need before they fly.
The trial app has a range of features, including a registry of testing centres and labs at the departure and/or arrival location which can conduct COVID-19 tests in accordance with the type of test required for the journey.”
RwandAir customers participating in the trial will create a ‘digital passport’ which verifies that their pre-travel COVID-19 test or vaccination meets the requirements of the destination they are travelling to.
They will also be able to safely and securely share their test and vaccination certificates with participating authorities and airlines around the world to ensure smooth and seamless travel.
