Rwandair to Introduce Flights to Europe and Asia

The board chairman of RwandAir, Girma Wake, has said the national carrier is to introduce flights to Europe and Asia in 2017. Wake, made the announcement recently when the management of RwandAir and other agencies affiliated to the ministry of infrastructure signed their performance contracts.
"Introducing our flights to Europe and Asia, is a way of attracting new market and new destinations beyond Africa," Wake said.

Minister James Musoni urged the heads of the agencies to consider modernized infrastructure as a key step to reach Vision 2020 and the SecondEconomic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS2) objectives.
Besides that, in the recent concluded World Export Development Forum which was organized by the International Trade Centre in Kigali, John Mirenge, RwandAir CEO, said Africa has a growing economy in terms of aviation, and Rwanda is planning to train more maintenance technicians and pilots to avoid international experts.
The national carrier has 14 Rwandan pilots with 19 others being trained, as well as 19 trainedmaintenance technicians, and 20 in training, to operate a fleet of 7 aircrafts and 16 destinations.
"We have an ambitious economic growth plan in line with the country's vision of a service-oriented economy. We are landlocked but connectivity will lead us to growth and diversification of economy," Mirenge said.
Valentine Rugwabiza, the Minister for East African Community affairs, reaffirmed that the aviation industry is developing in the region, and the introduction of RwandAir destinations to European and Asian cities is vital to the country in terms of trade and doing business.
Besides RwandAir extending destinations, the government signed an air transport agreement with Germany for Rwandan planes to access destinations in Germany.
Alexis Nzahabwanimana, the Minister of State in charge of transport in Mininfra, said the deal will facilitate the expansion of international air transport opportunities in meeting the passenger's desires and shippers for convenient air transport services.
"Planes from Rwanda will help passengers to fly to Germany and do business and fly back to Kigali, even traveling to other countries using RwandAir and Germany flights will be easy for passengers, it has been costing us so much for passengers to fly directly to Germany, we could board for them planes from other countries, now the cost is going to be reduced because RwandAir has been given opportunity to extend its destinations," Nzahabwanimana said.
Peter Fahrenhltz, Germany ambassador to Rwanda, said RwandAir has a good network extending its destinations is very vital, adding that competition is going to be there noting that the national carrier is going to compete with other companies and this will lead to a reduction of prices. "The more the competition the lower the prices, this is what consumers wants," Fahrenhltz said.