Within Africa, RwandAir connects major cities inSouth Africa,Nigeria,Tanzania,Kenya, andGhana, among others. Internationally, it serves long-haul routes to destinations such asBrussels,London,Paris,Dubai,Doha, andMumbai. Through its expanding network, RwandAir continues to strengthen Rwanda's connectivity with regional and global markets.[7]
A former Rwandair Express Boeing 737-500A former RwandAir Bombardier CRJ200LR
After the1994 genocide, the government took several attempts to revive the former national carrierAir Rwanda that ceased operations during the genocide. Various private companies showed interest in partnering with the government, and Uganda-basedSA Alliance Air ran the company from 1997 to 2000.[8] After SA Alliance ceased operations, the government of Rwanda took over the Rwandan operations and re-branded the airline, to ensure its continuity. RwandAir began operations on 1 December 2002 as the new national carrier for Rwanda under the nameRwandair Express (with passenger air transportation as the core activity). In 2016, RwandAir receivedInternational Air Transport Association's Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO).[9]
The airline began to expand regionally and by 2009 the network includedDar-es-Salaam,Nairobi, and domestic destinations such asGisenyi. In March 2009, the airline registered the new trademarkRwandAir Limited, which is its current operating name. In June 2009, the airline officially re-branded from Rwandair Express to RwandAir, because the new name implied a large, serious airline, while the "Express" in the former name implied a small regional operation.[10]
In May 2010, Rene Janata became theCEO, introducing a frequent flyer program and developing the airline to become a network carrier. In October 2010, John Mirenge became the new CEO of RwandAir.[11]
In July 2010, the first of RwandAir's new Boeing 737-500s arrived. The second one arrived on 20 October 2010. Both were leased fromGeneral Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS). Each has a two-class configuration with 12 business class seats and 90 economy class seats.[12]
In August 2011, the airline took delivery of their first aircraft purchased directly from an airline manufacturer. All prior aircraft operated by RwandAir had been either leased or bought as a second-hand aircraft. The aircraft that was purchased is a Boeing 737-800 with Sky Interior, also known as theBoeing 737 Next Generation, and was the only one operating amongAfrican airlines. The flight departed from Boeing Field inSeattle, Washington,United States, at 5:30 PM PST. It made its first stop inKeflavík International Airport inIceland, then it headed for a second stop toIstanbul,Turkey. It finally arrived inKigali,Rwanda, after a 20-hour flight.[13]
In October 2011, RwandAir took delivery of their second Boeing Next Generation 737-800. During January 2012, the airline disposed of the twoCRJ200 aircraft it owned, in anticipation of acquiring two CRJ-900NGs.[14]
In February 2013, John Mirenge announced that the airline would fly to Accra, Cape Town, Harare, Juba, and Zanzibar.[15]
In May 2015, RwandAir officially became anIATA member.[16]
In 2019, RwandAir entered into a partnership with USA-based Optiontown to launch a prepaid flight subscription platform called Flight Pass, which enables customers to pre-purchase RwandAir flights at the best available price and decide when they want to travel at a later date.[22]
Rwandair is owned 100 percent by the Government of Rwanda.[24][25] As of May 2021, an agreement to sell a 49 percent stake toQatar Airways is said to be in the final stages.[26][27]
The government hoped to privatise the airline after 2013, once it became profitable. However, the process had been abandoned in 2008 after it emerged that nobody at the time was willing to offer the amount expected from the sale.[28]
RwandAir's board of directors is responsible for ensuring that the airline follows a suitable corporate governance framework to ensure the creation and protection of value for the shareholder.Patricie Uwase is currently[when?] the chairman of RwandAir since September 2021; the long-time aviation veteranGirma Wake was chairman from 2012 to 2017.[4] Yvonne Manzi Makolo is the current[when?] CEO, having been promoted from deputy CEO in charge of Corporate Affairs in April 2018. She replaced acting CEO Col. Chance Ndagano.[5]
Full detailed accounts are rarely published, although intermittently some figures are made public by senior management or the government, or in government budgetary reports. Available trends are shown below (as at year ending 31 December):
The airline has its head office on the top floor of the main building ofKigali International Airport inKigali,Rwanda.[49][50] The airline previously had its head office in Centenary House in Kigali.[51] The airline began moving its operations from Centenary House to the airport on Friday 14 May 2010. The airline was scheduled to be moved in by Monday 17 May 2010.[50] At one previous point the airline had its head office in the Telcom House.[52]
^Yates, Chris (1997)."Alliance spreads into Central Africa"(Archived from the Original). Flightglobal.com Archiving Air Transport Magazine. Retrieved18 May 2018.
^abMinifra (June 2015)."Transport Sector Bulletin 2014/15"(PDF). Kigali: Rwanda Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (Minifra). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 19 May 2018. Retrieved19 May 2018.
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