RwandAir & Rwandan Aviation News 2021

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Kapitein
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Re: RwandAir in 2021

Post by Kapitein »

Maybe already reported before but missed it somewhere.
The A330-900, what happend to them?

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Re: RwandAir in 2021

Post by rwandan-flyer »

Kapitein wrote: 03 Apr 2021, 15:57 Maybe already reported before but missed it somewhere.
The A330-900, what happend to them?
RwandAir won't leased them, like for the two planned B737Max due to Covid crisis. One A330Neo is stored at Chateauroux (France) and the other one at Toulouse.
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Re: RwandAir in 2021

Post by Kapitein »

rwandan-flyer wrote: 03 Apr 2021, 20:49
Kapitein wrote: 03 Apr 2021, 15:57 Maybe already reported before but missed it somewhere.
The A330-900, what happend to them?
RwandAir won't leased them, like for the two planned B737Max due to Covid crisis. One A330Neo is stored at Chateauroux (France) and the other one at Toulouse.
Thx for the explanation

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Re: RwandAir in 2021

Post by rwandan-flyer »

Your welcome

After a long period of storage (a time stored in Zimbabwe then in Rwanda) one of RwandAir's B737-700 9XR-WJs carried out a test flight a week ago. The plane back to the service today: Kigali-Douala-Bangui. This aircraft has been leased to ILFC since 2013 (delivered new to Air Berlin in 2007)

https://fr.flightaware.com/live/flight/ ... /HRYR/HRYR

An article on Qatar Airways' Africa strategy published by Jeune Afrique in October 2020 is now open access. I put the part that talks about RwandAir.

Basically RwandAir can theoretically fly between Doha and Kigali, replacing QR, it will depend on the business plan.

They want to rationalize the fleet (bybe bye the B737s?) clean up the network to enable to RwandAir to become profitable (no more flights to Europe? Or future flights to the USA?).

Note that flights to Juba (South Sudan), Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Dakar (Senegal) and Tel Aviv do not have resume. While routes to on Conakry (Guinea) and Bamako (Mali) I doubt that they will open. In my opinion the Cotonou hub or base where 2 B737-700s were based and allowed flights to French-speaking West Africa countries (Dakar, Abidjan then, Bamako and Conakry) should not resume

After having acquired 60% of the new Kigali airport at the end of 2019, you are about to take 49% of the capital of Rwandair. How do you include the latter in your strategy?

It is with the other shareholder, the Rwandan government, that it will be explained, the day the transaction is finalized. The business plan is being prepared. Kigali has a very interesting geographical position in Africa, which allows us to access more markets and distribute traffic there from Europe, Asia or America.

It offers a continuation on secondary cities in Africa which do not have sufficient flows to justify non-stop flights from Doha. Rwanda's tourism potential is also significant. Having Rwandair in the Qatar Airways family and its holdings, including British Airways, Iberia, Cathay Pacific, TAP Portugal, can boost it even more.

Isn't Kigali too close to Addis Ababa and Nairobi, which benefit from two major carriers and already drain a lot of traffic?

Maybe Kigali is too close to Addis and Nairobi for Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways. For us, this is not the case. We are not focused on our competitors but on our customers. We want fair competition and access to their market. They are also welcome in Doha.


Could you fly Qatar Airways planes with Rwandair flight numbers to bypass the blockade?

The illegality of this blockade was confirmed in July 2020 by the International Court of Justice in The Hague. We intend to work clearly for the customer by using Qatar Airways planes on Qatar Airways flights and Rwandair planes on Rwandair flights. We do not want to circumvent the system, but that justice be done. The business plan will decide whether Qatar Airways or Rwandair will operate the flight between Kigali and Doha. Theoretically, Rwandair can do it.


Rwandair has lost $ 50 million a year since its inception. How to make a profitable company?

By making more revenue and spending less money. To do this, we have to rationalize the fleet, take a very close look at the network design and revenue management tools.

https://translate.google.com/translate? ... n-afrique/
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Re: RwandAir in 2021

Post by rwandan-flyer »

rwandan-flyer wrote: 04 Apr 2021, 19:00 Your welcome

After a long period of storage (a time stored in Zimbabwe then in Rwanda) one of RwandAir's B737-700 9XR-WJs carried out a test flight a week ago. The plane back to the service today: Kigali-Douala-Bangui. This aircraft has been leased to ILFC since 2013 (delivered new to Air Berlin in 2007)

https://fr.flightaware.com/live/flight/ ... /HRYR/HRYR
It is now stored in Palma de Mallorca so it seems that the aircraft was phased out. It was not Air Berlin the 1st operator of this 737 but TUIFly, misateke from me.

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airc ... j#274cd6a9

A trip report quite recent onboard of a RwandAir B737-700 from 2:54. The flight was Kigali Kinshasa but the person was arriving from South Africa.

Flight Attendants announcements in Kinyarwanda, it's not every day that you can hear that (from 06:44) 8-) followed by Eng and French announcements



My First trip to DR Congo Kinshasa via Kigali after so many years being outside during Covid-19 time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtWz75X01Ek&t=504s


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The A330Neo and B737Max will not be delivered but already had their Rwandan registrations. The 4 had to be leased

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The RwandAir fleet as 04/08/2021:

4 B737-800 (2 leased 9XR-WR / WQ)
1 B737-700 (leased)
2 CRJ-900ER (RwandAir is the owner)
2 A330 (RwandAir is the owner)
2 Q400NG (1 leased (9XR-WM) and the other RwandAir is the owner)


Image

Note that in the past, RwandAir planned to buy a B737-300 coming from KLM and 2 B787 called "terrible teens" (Ex Royal Air Maroc).

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Re: RwandAir in 2021

Post by rwandan-flyer »

Yesterday The Ambassador of Qatar to Rwanda visited the Minister of Infrastructure of Rwanda. Note the presence of Yvonne Makolo the CEO of RwandAir. Surely the final details before the official annoucement of the partnership between Qatar Airways and RwandAir.

Speaking of Qatar Airways, the Kigali-Doha flight will be operated under JetBlue code share, as soon as the various civil aviation authorities (Qatar and Rwanda) have given their agreement. https://gulfbusiness.com/qatar-airways- ... us-cities/

In terms of ... code share Rwanda is well served. Note that KLM (code share since ?? 1st flight on KGL in 2010), Egyptair (code share since 2010, 1st flight on KGL in 2019) and Turkish Airlines (code share since 2011, 1st flight on KGL in 2012) had started to do code share before coming with their own planes to Kigali. Maybe among the airlines listed someof them will come to Kigali ...



Brussels Airlines (BRU-KGL)

Hainan Airlines, United Airlines, Air Canada, Lufthansa, RwandAir

Ethiopian Airlines (ADD-KGL)

Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Air India, Lufthansa, Egyptair, RwandAir. Previously SAA before returning to Kigali in 2012 and British Midland Airlines

KLM (AMS-KGL)

Air France, Delta Airlines

Kenya Airways (NBO-KGL)

Etihad Airways

Qatar Airways DOH-KGL

Iberia, JetBlue (coming soon), British Airways, Royal Air Maroc

RwandAir


ProFlight Zambia, South African Airways, Precisionair (Tanzania)

Back the Ambassador's visit

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Re: RwandAir in 2021

Post by rwandan-flyer »

RwandAir's 2nd B737-700 was withdrawn from the fleet on 04/18/2021Q. He is currently in Palma, awaiting a conversion.

Image

Kamembe airport has just been modernized again (new terminal and new control tower in 2013, asphalt runway a few years ago). The airport can now be opened 24 hours a day thanks to the installation of lighting. Landing aids have also been installed. This airport is located on the border between Rwanda and DR Congo. It is mainly used by people traveling to or living in Bukavu, DR Congo. Bukavu airport (800,000 inhabitants) is quite far from Bukavu and is not connected to Kinshasa. So a lot of Congolese (s), humanitarian workers pass Kamembe to then take a flight to Kigali either with RwandAir or Egytpair, Ethiopian, Qatar Airways, Brussels Airlines or KLM. There are also tourists who come to visit Nyungwe forest or Rusizi Park.

Before the pandemic, RwandAir carried out 1 to 2 flights per day, in Q400. We went to 3 flights per week. It is RwandAir's only domestic line since the closure of the Kigali Gisenyi line, still in the process of being taken over.

Note that this is the oldest airport in Rwanda. At the time of Belgian colonization (Ruanda Urundi), La Sabena landed its DC3s there which linked Usumbura (now Bujumbura, capital of Burundi) because the DC6s could not land at KME, in order to have a Brussels Kamembe.

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Otherwise, it would seem that RwandAir will either open Brazzaville-Kigali or Kinshasa-Bangui, obviously coming from a strong demand coming mainly from Central Africans. Since the stop of the TAAG Angola Luanda-Bangui line, CAR is no longer connected to the 2 Congos. To see if RwandAir will remove the Kigali-Douala-Bangui routing

https://www.facebook.com/maecentrafriqu ... 2709965099
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Re: RwandAir in 2021

Post by sn26567 »

rwandan-flyer wrote: 24 Apr 2021, 21:25 Kamembe airport has just been modernized again (new terminal and new control tower in 2013, asphalt runway a few years ago). The airport can now be opened 24 hours a day thanks to the installation of lighting. Landing aids have also been installed. This airport is located on the border between Rwanda and DR Congo. It is mainly used by people travelling to or living in Bukavu, DR Congo.

Note that this is the oldest airport in Rwanda. At the time of Belgian colonization (Ruanda Urundi), La Sabena landed its DC3s there which linked Usumbura (now Bujumbura, capital of Burundi) because the DC6s could not land at KME, in order to have a Brussels Kamembe.

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Thanks for those lessons of history.

How easy is it to cross the border between DRC and Rwanda (in both directions)? Passport, vaccination, other documents?
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Re: RwandAir in 2021

Post by rwandan-flyer »

sn26567 wrote: 24 Apr 2021, 21:45
rwandan-flyer wrote: 24 Apr 2021, 21:25 Kamembe airport has just been modernized again (new terminal and new control tower in 2013, asphalt runway a few years ago). The airport can now be opened 24 hours a day thanks to the installation of lighting. Landing aids have also been installed. This airport is located on the border between Rwanda and DR Congo. It is mainly used by people travelling to or living in Bukavu, DR Congo.

Note that this is the oldest airport in Rwanda. At the time of Belgian colonization (Ruanda Urundi), La Sabena landed its DC3s there which linked Usumbura (now Bujumbura, capital of Burundi) because the DC6s could not land at KME, in order to have a Brussels Kamembe.

Image
Thanks for those lessons of history.

How easy is it to cross the border between DRC and Rwanda (in both directions)? Passport, vaccination, other documents?
Rwanda DR Congo border is partially open with restrictions. This is the only land border open for Rwanda. https://www.garda.com/fr/crisis24/alert ... -update-18


Borders with Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania are closed for all non Rwandans. Opened only for goods and cargo traffic and people living in Rwanda https://crisis24.garda.com/insights-int ... -update-17

No surprise RwandAir suspends its flights to Mumbai Note that one RwandAir 737-700 stored at Palma flown back to Kigali yesterday: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/9xr-wj
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Re: RwandAir in 2021

Post by rwandan-flyer »

Rwandan Aviation News:

Qatar Airways (flight today operated by B777-300ER) and KLM are increasing their number of flights this week to Kigali. The 2 airlines will offer 5 flights per week. Before covid, these 2 airlines served Kigali daily.

A delegation from Uganda Airlines was in Kigali in mid April 2021, with a view to opening a route between Entebbe and Kigali. Since the end of Air Uganda, RwandAir has a monopoly on this line which is operated in double touch with Nairobi and Juba (South Sudan). Before the crisis it was 3 to 4 flights a day which is high in Africa. https://www.facebook.com/uhckigali/post ... 0471425281

Back to RwandAir:

RwandAir flights to Johannesburg will resume on May 7, 2021 (3 flights per week). KGL JNB is the company's oldest route. In April 2023 we will celebrate the 20 years of the route https://www.facebook.com/FlyRwandAir/po ... 4046012145

It seems that RwandAir will open flights between Bangui and Kinshasa. Routing: Kigali-Kinshasa-Bangui and not via Brazzaville as it was previoulsy announced. Bangui is still be served 3 times a week, but 2 times via Douala and once via Kinshasa

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Re: RwandAir in 2021

Post by sn26567 »

RwandAir has resumed its services to Lusaka on 07 May 2021, with services to Harare and Cape Town to resume a week later.
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Re: RwandAir in 2021

Post by rwandan-flyer »

A RwandAir aircraft made an emergency landing in Lubumbashi (DRC), while it was on the Kigali-Lusaka (Zambia) -Johannesburg link. (night flight at the moment) on 12 May 2021. No info on the type of failure, and I don't have the reg of the aircraft. But the failure must have been serious because RwandAir sent another B737-800 9XR-WQ a few hours later.

'' Small advantage '', the flight time between Lubumbashi and Lusaka is only 40-45min: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airc ... q#27b22580

If anyone has any info on the incident, because nothing on AvHerald.

Otherwise a little bit Rwandan soft power with sponsorship and VIP flights to earn some cash.

Sponsoring, of the Tour of Rwanda (it's been a few years now). Amateur tour but more and more followed and which has attracted pro cyclists in recent years, to prepare for the big tours (Giro, Vuelta, Tour de France, ...).

Contract also signed for the 1st edition of the Basketball Africa League who will take place at Kigali. An African-style NBA or Euroleague which will be broadcast on Canal +, Bein, ESPN or NBA TV.

RwandAir will transport some teams (https://nba.africa-newsroom.com/press/v ... rs?lang=en). The 9XR-WQ was in Maputo a few days ago to transport the Maputo Ferroviário team https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airc ... q#27ae4d11

Salva Kiir Mayardit (President of South Sudan) and his famous hat which often flies on RwandAir when he travels: . Here the 9XR-WR: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/9xr-wr Speaking of South Sudan, Juba is the only destination in East Africa that RwandAir has not relaunched
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Re: RwandAir & Rwandan Aviation News 2021

Post by rwandan-flyer »

It's possible to change the title (RwandAir + Rwandan Aviation News 2021). Because i don't want to flood a thread when i want to talk about of an airline that use a different aircraft to Rwanda or which adds more flights. Thanks.

Egytpair came with an A330-300 to Kigali, this night replacing the usual B737-800. First time that they send A330 to KGL. I guess it was related to Basketball Africa League. There is also the The CAF (Confederation of African Football) Executive Committee and Rwanda is one of few Africans countries on "low or moderate list" about Covid for many countries in the world (low risk or moderate risk) so there "are many" people who come to Rwanda


The next month (if everything goes well) there will be the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Kigali (planned last year) https://thecommonwealth.org/chogm


Level 2: Moderate Level of COVID-19 in Rwanda for US CDC https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/co ... rus-rwanda while many countries in Europe or in Asia are "Level 4: Very High Level of COVID-19" https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/noticescovid19

For UE, no travel restrictions for Rwanda: https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/eu-lis ... -covid-19/

Kigali reached around 45 flights today. It's quite good. But most of time it's around 55-60 flights a day

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Re: RwandAir & Rwandan Aviation News 2021

Post by sn26567 »

rwandan-flyer wrote: 16 May 2021, 18:27 It's possible to change the title (RwandAir + Rwandan Aviation News 2021). Because i don't want to flood a thread when i want to talk about of an airline that use a different aircraft to Rwanda or which adds more flights. Thanks.
Changed. We appreciate your input on an almost daily basis.
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Re: RwandAir & Rwandan Aviation News 2021

Post by Homo Aeroportus »

rwandan-flyer wrote: 16 May 2021, 18:27
Kigali reached around 45 flights today. It's quite good. But most of time it's around 55-60 flights a day
I don't think KGL has so many daily flights currently.
FR24 flights marked as "unknown" are usually planned only but not operated. That leaves about 6 to max 10 arrivals a day. Trends seems positive though and this is a good thing.

H.A.

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Re: RwandAir & Rwandan Aviation News 2021

Post by rwandan-flyer »

Homo Aeroportus wrote: 17 May 2021, 18:26
rwandan-flyer wrote: 16 May 2021, 18:27
Kigali reached around 45 flights today. It's quite good. But most of time it's around 55-60 flights a day
I don't think KGL has so many daily flights currently.
FR24 flights marked as "unknown" are usually planned only but not operated. That leaves about 6 to max 10 arrivals a day. Trends seems positive though and this is a good thing.

H.A.
The problem is the lack of coverage in Africa. Some status are not the good one. The flight from Harare was operated. You can see only the part from Cape Town to Harare on FlightRadar24. So in deed sometimes the number of flights are over estimated and sometimes are under estimated


Photo. The CRJ-900 9XR-WH which diverted in Lumbubashi on May 12, 2020. It was operating the Kigali-Lusaka-Johannesburg flight. Probably one of the longest flights in the world for a CRJ-900NG, with the Kigali-Harare-Cape Town flight. The CRJ left by ferry for Kigali on May 13

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=597 ... 6100342801

Uganda Airlines does Entebbe-Johannesburg in a CRJ-900. Kenya Airways does Nairobi-Lagos and Nairobi Johannebsurg in ERJ-190

RwandAir confirms the launch of the Kinshasa Bangui link, at the rate of one flight per week (Kigali-Kinshasa-Bangui)

https://www.facebook.com/FlyRwandAir/po ... 9834912145

No surprise, RwandAir has laid off staff (and hopes to hire some), but is counting on its African route to back in the green. It is to qualify because the airline has only had one positive financial year since 2002

RwandAir to focus on African routes in new recovery strategy https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/rwandai ... y-strategy

AFCAC - African Civil Aviation Commission
@Afcac_Cafac
·
Apr 27
Constitution of AFCAC enters force definitely on 06 April 2021 upon deposit of the 15th instrument of ratification by Republic of Senegal, with Rwanda as the 16th Member State to ratify.
African airports CEOs meet in Kigali
https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/african ... eet-kigali
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Re: RwandAir & Rwandan Aviation News 2021

Post by rwandan-flyer »

Hello

Anyone has informations about this Bujumbura-Kigali-Brussels route operated in 1999 ? I found an old article on Agence Hirondelle (former press agency of International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda) over 10 years ago. But the website is no longer updated and they have earesed all their articles. I remmember that they talked about of a B767 that was used by Air Burundi and Rwanda Airlines


Rwanda: information on the airline company called Rwanda Airlines, its current status and its director between August 1997 and May 2000

[...]

A source of information published in August 1999 indicates that in association with Air Burundi, the national airline of Burundi, Rwanda Airlines had "decided to open a direct link between Bujumbura - Kigali and Brussels" (Burundi 31 Aug. 1999). According to L'Humanité, Rwanda Airlines inaugurated in November 1998, a "regular line to Goma and Kindu", two towns located in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) under the control of the rebels of the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie ( RCD) (Nov. 17, 1998). Rwanda Airlines is also, according to Lonely Planet, the only airline in Rwanda able to provide domestic flights (May 11, 2001).

https://translate.google.com/translate? ... f0b18.html

Thanks
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Re: RwandAir & Rwandan Aviation News 2021

Post by rwandan-flyer »

The Nyiragongo Volcano (DR Congo) erupted this evening.

Large movement of Congolese population towards Rwanda, on Rubavu (my native region )

The lava seems to be approaching (again) Goma airport. But the situation is confusing to verify ().


In 2002, during the previous eruption, the Goma trail had been partially covered by lava. It took several years for work to be done to clear the lava.

For the moment Kigali airport is working. Kigali is only 150km from Nyiragongo. On the other hand, some planes make detours.

Map: 1: Kigali (Rwanda), 2: Goma. Arrow and circle: Nyiragongo volcano

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Turkish's A330 operating the flight Istanbul Kigali arrived directly from eastern Rwanda, via Tanzania, instead of arriving from the north.

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The RwandAir Brazzaville-Kigali flight arrived straight from the south of Rwanda, instead of arriving from the west.

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The Brussels Airlines A330 arriving from Entebbe used the same arrival lane to Kigali that it normally uses. Same for the Ethiopian night flight

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Re: RwandAir & Rwandan Aviation News 2021

Post by rwandan-flyer »

News from Bugesera airport.

Project started almost 15 years ago (construction started in 2017). Several market studies, different plans, several calls for tenders, expropriation which took time, lack of funds, covid ... It's quite rare to projects that have experienced so much delay in Rwanda. There was the Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Center, which took almost 10 years to complete.

If all goes well airport opening in December 2022 https://www.ktpress.rw/2021/05/bugesera ... next-year/

Maximum capacity 7 million passengers, over the period 2022-2032. and 14 million for the second phase.

Before covid, the current Kigali airport was at 1,200,000 pax. The current terminal dating from 1980 was designed to accommodate 400,000-500,000 pax maximum (number exceeded in 2012 https://en.igihe.com/spip.php?page=mv2_ ... ticle=5789), it has been extended to several times (https://www.mininfra.gov.rw/updates/new ... -in-rwanda). The current capacity is 1,500,000. Without the covid this number would surely have been exceeded quickly. And it's not possible to expand the airport even further. It is located on a hill in the eastern suburbs of Kigali.

Small glimpse (2014) taken from a chopper by a Rwandan friend avgeek:

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The latest version of the airport with Qatar Airways which will have 60% of the shares.

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The last phase of modernization (started in 2013-2014) of the Kigali airport terminal, was completed in early 2021. Addition of service road, new aircraft parking lots and a small terminal for the only domestic flight ( Kamembe). Flights to Gisenyi (suspended since 2013) must resume but for the moment the airport cannot receive Q400

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The terminal in March 2011 with a nice Ethiopian B767-300ER. Big difference


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Re: RwandAir & Rwandan Aviation News 2021

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