RwandAir & Rwandan Aviation News 2026

[rwandan-flyer]

RwandAir in 2020
RwandAir & Rwandan Aviation News 2021
RwandAir & Rwandan Aviation News 2022
RwandAir & Rwandan Aviation News 2023
RwandAir & Rwandan Aviation News 2024
RwandAir & Rwandan Aviation News 2025

As it does every year, Rwanda has published its statistical yearbook. Although the title says 2025, the data is for 2024. The data includes both Kigali and Kamembe.

The 30,000 domestic passengers figure refers to the Kigali-Kamembe domestic route, operated once a day with a Q400 aircraft. Trafic is not very high; however it's interesting that the situation at the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda hasn't caused a significant drop in traffic (we will see for 2025). This route is used by NGOs, Congolese people traveling to or from Bukavu (DR Congo), and tourists visiting the Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda.

The number of transfer passengers is almost back to pre-COVID levels. International passenger numbers have, for the first time, exceeded one million, despite route closures to Cape Town and Mumbai and reduced flights to Dubai. But Ethiopian Airlines has increased its service from two to three flights per day, Kenya Airways has added flights (up to four per day), and Brussels Airlines has switched to daily service.

For 2025, authorities are projecting 1,500,000 passengers, relying on increased RwandAir frequencies to other destinations (Lagos, Johannesburg, Harare, and Lusaka), the launch of routes to Zanzibar and Mombasa, the return of Qatar Airways, and the arrival of Badr Airlines (Sudan). They seem confident despite the closure of routes to Abuja, Brazzaville, and Cotonou (these destinations disappeared from RwandAir's inflight magazine this month). The CRJ aircraft are also no longer part of the WB fleet.

About new airlines, Asky, Royal Air Maroc, and Salamair (Oman) have expressed interest in operating flights to Rwanda. However, no launch dates have been announced.

https://alpha.statistics.gov.rw/statist ... l-yearbook

[rwandan-flyer]

RwandAir has retired one B737-800 9XR-WQ. This aircraft was delivered new in 2016, leased from ALC. The aircraft will go to Garuda Indonesia.

It seems that the airline now provides 6 flights a week to Zanzibar / Mombasa iso 4 times. Although for the week only from 16th to 22nd, i have found only 4 flights. I guess it's linked with February winter holidays in France, UK which are top markets for ZNZ abd MBA on RwandAir network (outside Africa). South Africa is also a big market for ZNZ and MBA (RwandAir operates 2 flights a day to Johannesburg).


Qatar Airways has its QR code (code share with RwandAir) on the Kigali Zanzibar Mombasa route. Qatar Airways serves Zanzibar, so you can fly between Kigali Doha via Zanzibar. I can imagine someone making Tokyo Doha Kigali (only with Qatar Airways) and back with Kigali Zanzibar (RwandAir), then Zanzibar-Doha-Tokyo with Qatar Airways

[rwandan-flyer]

RwandAir appears on the Jeddah airport website with its terminal assignment. Another Hajj flights to come or future scheduled flights. https://www.kaia.sa/Flights?tab=2

Kenya Airways is also listed, assigned to Terminal 1. Is this a return of Kenya Airways to Jeddah? The airline closed its route in the 2000s, before relaunching flights in 2011 (https://www.tourismupdate.com/article/k ... dah?page=2) and closing it again in 2018 (https://www.tourismupdate.com/article/k ... dah?page=2), leaving its SkyTeam partner, Saudia Arabian Airlines, to operate the flights alone. SV serves Nairobi with an A330-300 and offers its SV code on Kenya Airways flights to Africa.

Airports of Rwanda (RAC) @RwandaAirports Feb. 5
The High Commissioner of Rwanda to Singapore, H.E. @IBMuhizi, alongside MD @habonima and CEO of @FlyRwandAir Yvonne Makolo, met with executives from the Changi Airport Group to discuss air transport cooperation. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Changi Aviation Summit and the Singapore Airshow. https://x.com/RwandaAirports/status/2019325977424457780

Note that the Changi Group has been providing consulting services to Kigali Airport for 10 years. This is surely one of the reasons why Kigali is among the best airports in Africa. https://www.changiairport.com/en/cai.html (You need to scroll down the page and you'll see a world map with a dot on Kigali)

[rwandan-flyer]

A new cargo plane is apparently operating in Kigali. SolitAir, which already serves a large part of East and Southern Africa with B737-800F departing from Dubai DWC (https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/sh807), has flights scheduled for February 18th, 20th, and 22nd, which looks like a regular service.

September 25th (KGL is not mentioned): SolitAir Expands Global South Network with New Africa Routes: https://africanpilot.africa/solitair-ex ... ca-routes/

The airline competes with RwandAir Cargo, which operates from Sharjah and Dubai DWC (the two aircraft were flying together yesterday, see the screenshot below).

As of March 28, 2026, Qatar Airways plans to reduce its flights to Kigali. Kigali will be served twice a week, instead of four times a week, still with the A320. There will no longer be flights on Fridays and Sundays. RwandAir continues to fly six times a week with the B737-800 between Kigali and Doha.

For the summer season, KLM (reducing from six to four flights per week), Brussels Airlines (reducing from seven to six flights per week), and Qatar Airways will offer fewer flights to Kigali than last summer. Ethiopian, Turkish Airlines, Kenya Airways, and EgyptAir will maintain stable service. Oman Air and its two weekly flights are still pending, but bookings are not yet open.

Also, RwandAir currently serves Brussels once a week instead of three times, still via Paris. Paris is still served three times a week, but the other two weekly flights are operated via London. I've asked someone for more information; I'm waiting for their reply. My hypothesis is that flight occupancy rates on the Brussels route are low for several reasons. One could be due to the poor relations between the two countries, with the closure of embassies and the end of all cooperation, whether diplomatic or related to Belgian and Rwandan NGOs.

Although visa is still possible, there may also be fewer Belgian tourists in Rwanda. Brussels Airlines alone could capture a portion of the point-to-point demand. RwandAir doesn't have much to offer passengers from Brussels Airlines connecting through Kigali, apart from Burundi. Point-to-point demand for Paris flights is increasing with the normalization of relations between France and Rwanda, and RwandAir now serves Zanzibar (currently once a day instead of four times a week) and may have picked up some passengers on the Bangui route since Air France ceased its flights. This has allowed RwandAir to offset the losses incurred by closing its routes to Brazzaville and Kinshasa. London provides RwandAir with point-to-point passenger services, as well as flights to Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and East Africa.

[rwandan-flyer]

RwandAir passenger and cargo flights to the UAE and Qatar are suspended. Qatar Airways flights are also suspended.

On the day the flights were suspended, three RwandAir B737-800s were in the Middle East. Two aircraft were able to depart shortly before the situation deteriorated.

The B737-800 Cargo 9XR-WW took off in the afternoon from Sharjah to Kigali https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/9xr-ww. I see that RwandAir Cargo now serves Juba (South Sudan).

The B737-800 9XR-WR, which was operating the Doha-Kigali flight, took off shortly after 9:00 AM https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/9xr-wr

Both aircraft were making a short stopover.

However, the B737-800 9XR-WG was making its day stop in Dubai, so it wasn't possible to depart that same day. It departed for Kigali on March 3rd. https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airc ... g#3e920c16

The consequences for Rwanda are difficult to imagine. But Qatar and the UAE are two of Rwanda's trading partners. The UAE is its largest partner, with over $1 billion in trade. Dubai is Kigali's top destination outside of Africa in terms of demand.

The UAE is Rwanda’s leading trade partner. Rwanda-UAE total trade exceeded USD 1.5 billion in 2024, up from the mere USD 100 million in 2012. https://www.rwandainuae.gov.rw/cooperat ... ooperation

For Qatar, firstly, regarding flights, there will be no more opportunities to offer flights to Doha in partnership with Qatar Airways. Then there are also investments in the new Kigali airport and the still pending acquisition of Qatar Airways' 49% stake in RwandAir. Currently, Qatar has other, more pressing matters, and it's unclear what state Qatar Airways will be in when flights resume. We're almost a week since the closure of the airspace.

Approximately 2,000 Rwandans live in the United Arab Emirates, just under 30 in Bahrain, and between 500 and 1,000 in Israel (https://allafrica.com/stories/202603040097.html). There are 2,100 in Oman (https://www.instagram.com/p/DSF-vsziOAJ/?img_index=1).

[ZavCity]

Rwandair flight RWD700 to BRU is operated by EuroAtlantic A330 CS-TGD since last week..Reason?

[ZavCity]

Lately some flights to BRU were canceled again..Technical problem at one of the doors here in BRU it seems..Got a bunch of friends flying them (replacement for QTR) to Johannesburg:no info fromRWD..Spent 2 nights in different hotels and than saturday evening 11 PM they were told the flights were canceled..Saw that RWD is now sending today an extra flight on the repaired aircraft...Very bad experience!

[rwandan-flyer]

RwandAir but Rwanda are dealing with customer service issues since many many many times. Things are not really moving fast.

They expend RwandAir fleet quickly, the country is a growing destination for the tourism, in term of efficiency in public sector Rwanda is one of the best country in Africa, but the customer service is really bad.

They can make good PR duing Customer service week (showing that you the best African Airlines by SkyTraxx is not enough), but the behind the scenes is not green.

Several factors can explain that:

Rwanda is a fattest growing country, but 20-25 years ago not many people visited Rwanda or used RwandAir. Customer service was not a cultural thing And there were not hospitality or aviation schools. They sometimes hired foreign people. But with the growth of tourism and aviation, Rwanda needed to invest into customer service . The goof thing is now Rwanda has now hospitality and aviation school to train many local staff. However still lots of work ahead

Laziness or Indifference

Working conditions. At RwandAir, there is a huge turnover in some offices in some others departements.

There's also a lack of strict penalties for repeat offenders.

However some private companies or states agencies have good customer service. About Kigali Airport, there are really less complaints than RwandAir (https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... PoiReviews & https://www.airlinequality.com/airport- ... i-airport/)

There not good reviews but most of them were put 9-10 years ago https://www.sleepinginairports.net/revi ... eviews.htm

[rwandan-flyer]

I confess I'm a bit confused. SalamAir is launching flights to Kigali starting September 1, 2026, twice a week. In 2018, Oman Air planned to serve Kigali within a few years, then SalamAir was slated for 2024, then Oman Air again for 2026, and now it's SalamAir once more.

https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/260417-ovsep26af

Is this due to the merger of Oman Air and SalamAir carried out by the Omani government last month?

Oman Government Completes Acquisition of SalamAir https://aeromorning.com/en/oman-governm ... -salamair/

Nevertheless, an interesting deal was signed this week between Rwanda and Oman.

Oman Airports Signs MoU with Rwandan Firm to Boost Aviation Cooperation https://caa.gov.qa/en/news/oman-airport ... ooperation

To be honest, I'm a bit skeptical, especially with the use of the A321neo (even though the A320neo will also be used). The South Asia/Middle East-Rwanda market isn't nearly as large as for Uganda, Tanzania, or Kenya.

Ethiopian, with its three daily flights to Kigali (codeshare with Flynas & Etihad), and Kenya Airways, with its maximum of four daily flights to Kigali (codeshare with Saudi Airlines), already offer a good selection. Even EgyptAir, with its three weekly flights (codeshare with Etihad), offers good connections to the Middle East with layover times of just a few hours. Qatar Airways is currently reopening bookings for Kigali in mid-June 2026, but there's no official announcement. RwandAir flights to Doha and Dubai were also available.

SalamAir will be able to leverage Oman Air's European network, but it's uncertain whether that will be sufficient, although I certainly wish them success with this flight.

Like the Kigali-Juba-Port Sudan route, this is a niche market. In fact, the route is still operating. The Badr Airlines website has been updated, and bookings are now possible. The airline also announced in February 2026 the possibility of flights to Cairo (with a connection via Port Sudan), but it's currently impossible to book a single ticket.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DTTEelQjTUi/ Now your flight is easier with Badr Airlines Cairo Kegali Cairo
Weekly flights... An extraordinary experience

#badrairlines #sudan #بدر_للطيران #السودان #القاهرة #رواند

[rwandan-flyer]

Salamair flights are no longer available for booking. They were not available on the airline's website, but on other booking platforms. Has the airline reversed course (even though there haven't been any official announcements)?

Qatar Airways appears to be resuming flights to Kigali by the end of September 2026.

The Rwanda Development Board has published its annual report on tourism and aviation. Rwanda welcomed 1,490,000 tourists in 2024, compared to 1,360,000 in 2025. https://rdb.rw/wp-content/uploads/2026/ ... t-2025.pdf

We have learned that Mauritius has been the largest investor in Rwanda since 2020, with investments ranging from USD 135 million to USD 251 million. When will we see a Kigali MRU with RwandAir ?

Luxembourg is Rwanda's fourth largest export market (although the volume is low at USD 52.3 million). Luxembourg is investing heavily in establishing a financial center in Kigali, hence the opening of embassies (LUX in Kigali and RW in LUX). However, it's not certain that a Cargolux B747 could make its flights to Kigali profitable. On the other hand, Luxembourgish tourists, with their high incomes, why not? A few occasional flights (not regular, like 3-4 per year) via a tour operator would be interesting. Rwanda is an ideal target market. It seems to me that the Max 8s could fly to Kigali nonstop.

There has been a 23% increase in arrivals by air, which still doesn't represent the majority of arrivals. Whether local or international tourists (East African safaris including Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania), many arrive by land. Despite the strained relations between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, the DRC remains Rwanda's largest market with 612,436 arrivals. However, a majority of these arrivals originate from the east, with some transiting through Kigali. They represent a significant portion of the transit market, and this is undoubtedly a contributing factor to the decline.

Most travelers come for business (which is good for airline yields ), but the country struggles to attract substantial passenger traffic. The number of tourists visiting for holidays has decreased, and VFR (Virtual Flight Rules) traffic is also declining. Yet the Rwandan diaspora is quite large if we take the Rwandan pop (between 400,000 and 500,000 live abroad https://thegreatlakeseye.com/post?s=Rwa ... pment_1236), but due to the local context in Rwanda (I'm referring here to the political regime), some simply don't travel. Abroad, there are still tensions within the diaspora, also stemming from the genocide against the Tutsis. Victims and perpetrators sometimes live in the same city... And whether they are victims or perpetrators, some of these people wouldn't feel safe in Rwanda (acts of revenge by residents, even if the number has been low for several decades).

** Total pop of Rwanda: 14 000 000

EAC: South Sudan, DR Congo, Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia. But they left the DRC out of it.





On the right, it's not the Kigali airport network, but RwandAir's network with its two codeshare partners (Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways). It's worth noting that some destinations in Europe and the USA use the code WB with Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines, so someone could end up flying LAX-Istanbul-Kigali-Doha-LAX with a RwandAir ticket, connecting through Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways.

[rwandan-flyer]

750
No official announcement has been seen, but it seems RwandAir has begun a codeshare agreement with EgyptAir. Indeed, the Cairo-Kigali-Cairo service (via Entebbe on the return), operated by EgyptAir three times a week, is a codeshare with RwandAir.

Cairo is also served by RwandAir through codeshare agreements with Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines.

It's quite interesting that the airline has three codeshare agreements with three Star Alliance members: Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, and EgyptAir, as can be seen in the screenshot below. In the 2000s, Brussels Airlines was also part of the agreement, but it appears to have ended.

[rwandan-flyer]

Salamair flights are no longer available for booking. They were not available on the airline's website, but on other booking platforms. Has the airline reversed course (even though there haven't been any official announcements)?

Well, finally, the flights are scheduled to begin on July 21, 2026, subject to approvals. Two flights per week. I'm still skeptical about the route's success. However, for the moment, RwandAir hasn't announced a resumption of flights to the Middle East via Dubai and Doha (so there's no possibility of connecting via Doha with Qatar Airways to the Middle East and South Asia).

As I mentioned in another comment, Qatar Airways won't be returning to Kigali before September. Ethiopian Airlines will therefore be the main competitor (Kenya Airways has a smaller network). I don't think Turkish Airlines and EgyptAir will pick up many passengers via Istanbul Airport (IST) and Cairo International Airport (CAI) to and from the Middle East and South Asia. Europe is their main source of revenue to and from Kigali.

Oman’s SalamAir to launch direct flights to Kigali https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/3530 ... -to-kigali

SalamAir Expands in Africa with New Direct Service to Kigali, Rwanda

Muscat-Sultanate of Oman,
April 30, 2026

SalamAir, Oman’s Low-Cost Carrier, has announced the opening of sales for its newest route to Kigali, Rwanda, further expanding its growing presence across the African market. Flights are set to begin on 21st July 2026, subject to regulatory approvals, with the airline operating two weekly flights between Muscat and Kigali on Tuesday and Thursday, offering passengers convenient and affordable travel options. One-way Lite fares on the route start from OMR 69.99, reinforcing SalamAir’s commitment to low fares and accessible travel. https://press.salamair.com/salamair-exp ... i-rowanda/

[sn26567]

Qatar Airways won't be returning to Kigali before September

It looks like Qatar Airways is very slow to resume flights after the Middle East crisis sparked by Trump. Emirates and Etihad are acting much faster.

[rwandan-flyer]

Qatar Airways won't be returning to Kigali before September

It looks like Qatar Airways is very slow to resume flights after the Middle East crisis sparked by Trump. Emirates and Etihad are acting much faster.

Qatar Airways announces the resumption of flights to Kigali for June 16, 2026. https://www.qatarairways.com/press-rele ... in-africa/

Well, very little "damage" to Kigali related to the Middle East conflict, at least on the part of foreign airlines which all will serve Kigali this summer. However, RwandAir, although bookings are open for flights to Dubai and Doha starting next month, has not yet announced a resumption of service.

BlueBird Aviation (Kenya) is going to launch scheduled flights and has obtained its license (on the Kenyan side) to serve Kigali. A Kenyan cargo company is also involved. https://x.com/kenyanwalstreet/status/20 ... 7981308192

Kenyan Wall Street
@kenyanwalstreet
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority granted air service licenses to 38 operators effective largely 29 January 2026, following applications gazetted in December 2025.

[...]

Bluebird Aviation — Mogadishu/Entebbe/Kigali/Arusha/Zanzibar + domestic, 1 year

Fly Mode Flight Centre — Cargo Kigali/Entebbe/DSM/Bujumbura/Dubai/JNB, 1 year

https://x.com/kenyanwalstreet/status/20 ... 7981308192 (March 2026)

Summer schedule for Kigali (excluding RwandAir):

KLM 6x per week, on A330-200/300

Brussels Airlines 6x per week, on A330-300 (-1 flight per week vs. 2025, due to the opening of the Kilimanjaro route via Nairobi)

Turkish Airlines 1 flight per day, on B737-Max 8, A330-200/300. The Turkish Ambassador to Rwanda visited the airline's office in Kigali 3 weeks ago. He was clearly pleased with the work done by Turkish Airlines in Rwanda. https://x.com/TC_KigaliBE/status/2049132561801044340

Coastal Aviation (Tanzania): 1 flight per day, Cessna 208

Auric Air (Tanzania): 1 flight per day, Cessna 208 and occasionally Dash 8-100

Ethiopian: 3 flights per day, B737-700 / 800NG / Max 8 and occasionally B787-8

Kenya Airways: up to 4 flights per day, ERJ 190 and B737-800NG

Egyptair: 3 flights per week, A320neo

Badr Airlines (Sudan): 1 flight per week, B737-800 (end of overnight stop in Kigali, return flight during the day)

Qatar Airways: 2 flights per week, A320Ceo (-2 flights per week vs. 2025)

New:

Salamair twice a week, with an A321Neo.

[rwandan-flyer]

To monitor. In response to the Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the DRC, Rwanda has closed its border with the DRC. Rusizi (near the DRC) is a tourist destination, and Volcanoes National Park is near Uganda. https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/3573 ... -emergency

In 2014, when I went to Rwanda, we underwent checks upon arrival at the airport and heard an announcement from the Qatar Airways crew during the descent, explaining the protocol implemented by Rwanda and providing a form to fill out. Rwanda is generally considered to be quite well-organized regarding epidemics, thanks to its well-structured medical system. It is often cited as an example in Africa, as was the case with Ebola in 2014 and Covid-19.

Qatar Airways won't be returning to Kigali before September

It looks like Qatar Airways is very slow to resume flights after the Middle East crisis sparked by Trump. Emirates and Etihad are acting much faster.

Qatar Airways announces the resumption of flights to Kigali for June 16, 2026. https://www.qatarairways.com/press-rele ... in-africa/

Well, very little "damage" to Kigali related to the Middle East conflict, at least on the part of foreign airlines which all will serve Kigali this summer. However, RwandAir, although bookings are open for flights to Dubai and Doha starting next month, has not yet announced a resumption of service.

BlueBird Aviation (Kenya) is going to launch scheduled flights and has obtained its license (on the Kenyan side) to serve Kigali. A Kenyan cargo company is also involved. https://x.com/kenyanwalstreet/status/20 ... 7981308192

Kenyan Wall Street
@kenyanwalstreet
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority granted air service licenses to 38 operators effective largely 29 January 2026, following applications gazetted in December 2025.

[...]

Bluebird Aviation — Mogadishu/Entebbe/Kigali/Arusha/Zanzibar + domestic, 1 year

Fly Mode Flight Centre — Cargo Kigali/Entebbe/DSM/Bujumbura/Dubai/JNB, 1 year

https://x.com/kenyanwalstreet/status/20 ... 7981308192 (March 2026)

Summer schedule for Kigali (excluding RwandAir):

KLM 6x per week, on A330-200/300

Brussels Airlines 6x per week, on A330-300 (-1 flight per week vs. 2025, due to the opening of the Kilimanjaro route via Nairobi)

Turkish Airlines 1 flight per day, on B737-Max 8, A330-200/300. The Turkish Ambassador to Rwanda visited the airline's office in Kigali 3 weeks ago. He was clearly pleased with the work done by Turkish Airlines in Rwanda. https://x.com/TC_KigaliBE/status/2049132561801044340

Coastal Aviation (Tanzania): 1 flight per day, Cessna 208

Auric Air (Tanzania): 1 flight per day, Cessna 208 and occasionally Dash 8-100

Ethiopian: 3 flights per day, B737-700 / 800NG / Max 8 and occasionally B787-8

Kenya Airways: up to 4 flights per day, ERJ 190 and B737-800NG

Egyptair: 3 flights per week, A320neo

Badr Airlines (Sudan): 1 flight per week, B737-800 (end of overnight stop in Kigali, return flight during the day)

Qatar Airways: 2 flights per week, A320Ceo (-2 flights per week vs. 2025)

New:

Salamair twice a week, with an A321Neo.

[rwandan-flyer]

In less 7 days, the Airbus Africa Director and the Boeing Africa and Middle East Director visited Rwanda.

For Airbus, it was in connection with the Africa CEO Forum held in Kigali this month. But Jeune Afrique reports that the Airbus Africa Director met with the Rwandan President.

Gabriel Semelas (Airbus): “The challenge in Africa is no longer just to sell aircraft, but to build an ecosystem”

With 9.4% growth in air traffic projected for 2024, Africa is emerging as the world’s most dynamic market. Airbus intends to accelerate its investments there, from the supply chain to pilot training.

[...]

Among its African partners are RwandAir and Air Côte d’Ivoire, two airlines with which the manufacturer maintains close relationships. A few hours before the meeting with the Rwandan president, Kigali released over $3 billion to support its aeronautical sector. This funding is intended to finance both RwandAir and the future Bugesera airport. Will the head of the Rwandan aviation company, Yvonne Makolo, order new Airbus aircraft? Nothing is certain yet. https://www-jeuneafrique-com.translate. ... r_pto=wapp

For Boeing, there was a meeting with the Rwanda Development Board.

Rwanda, Boeing explores aircraft financing amid aviation ambitions

The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and global aerospace giant Boeing have held discussions focused on strengthening Rwanda’s aviation sector and advancing the country’s ambition to become a regional hub for air transport, logistics, and tourism. https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/3606 ... -ambitions

Are orders on the horizon? Are industrial projects in the pipeline ? I'm not talking about a factory for manufacturing airplanes, but a factory that can manufacture parts. Consulting services ? Will a regional office be established ? Boeing has already one in Ethiopia for East Africa. Will a training center be created alongside Rwanda’s future aeronautical campus? The Rwanda Center of Excellence for Aviation Skills (CEAS) project is planned for 2028 (https://africa-news-agency.com/rwanda-a ... ambitions/)

[rwandan-flyer]

To monitor. In response to the Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the DRC, Rwanda has closed its border with the DRC. Rusizi (near the DRC) is a tourist destination, and Volcanoes National Park is near Uganda. https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/3573 ... -emergency

In 2014, when I went to Rwanda, we underwent checks upon arrival at the airport and heard an announcement from the Qatar Airways crew during the descent (my routing was Paris Cdg-Doha-Kigali), explaining the protocol implemented by Rwanda and providing a form to fill out. Rwanda is generally considered to be quite well-organized regarding epidemics, thanks to its well-structured medical system. It is often cited as an example in Africa, as was the case with Ebola in 2014 and Covid-19.

Well, what I feared seems to be happening. KLM is suspending its flights to Entebbe. Flights are being operated taged via Kigali. Kigali market doesn't have the capacity to fill an A330, KLM also appears to be suspending its flights to Kigali, as there are no more flights available for the coming weeks.

KLM suspends Entebbe flights amid Ebola-related travel restrictions

Dutch carrier KLM has cancelled flights to and from Entebbe International Airport in Uganda, citing international travel restrictions linked to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa.

The airline said the Entebbe region, which serves the Ugandan capital Kampala, is not currently considered an active Ebola risk zone.

However, new entry requirements imposed by several countries on travelers who have recently passed through Entebbe have made it impossible to operate scheduled services as planned. https://airlinergs.com/klm-suspends-ent ... trictions/

In a travel advisory issued on Friday, KLM said: “We’re continuing to monitor the situation and looking into what’s possible.”

Brussels Airlines also seems to be experiencing difficulties. Crews who operated flights to the US recently were denied entry after operating flights in Africa, with stopovers in Kinshasa and Entebbe. It remains to be seen what will happen in the future, as more and more countries are putting restrictions, particularly in Asia. Emirates has advised its citizens against traveling to South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda.

This is no small thing, because Dubai is part of their largest point-to-point market, sometimes far away from most major cities in Europe.

MoFA advises UAE Nationals and Residents against travel to Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/MediaHub/New ... outh-Sudan

Belgium-based Brussels Airlines said last week that crew members who had visited Uganda or the Democratic Republic of the Congo within the previous 21 days were prohibited from entering the United States under current rules.

The airline announced it would make “significant adjustments” to crew scheduling to maintain flights to Entebbe, Kinshasa, New York City and Washington, adding that it intended to preserve its flight program wherever possible.

[rwandan-flyer]

The well informed East African NewsPaper has contacted KLM Uganda country manager. He has said that flights will resumed in two weeks.

In deed, bookings to Entebbe and Kigali are again available around 17June26

He has said that main issue which has lead the suspension of the flights is the crew. Because some restrictions put by some countries served by KLM require that crews flying to Uganda must isolated during 21 days. Like for Brussels Airlines, they are trying to find solutions.

https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/bu ... ns-5481368

[sn26567]

RwandAir has been named Best Cabin Service in Africa at the 2026 APEX Awards.

The award, presented at the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) Future Travel Experience EMEA event in Dublin, is based entirely on independently verified passenger feedback from over one million flights worldwide, making it a true reflection of the experience delivered onboard RwandAir.

[rwandan-flyer]

KLM flights to Entebbe will resume in mid-July 2026, instead of late June/early July. KLM will increase its service to Kigali from 2 to 3 flights per week starting in early July, with no stopovers via Entebbe.

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The Rwandan government officially launched recruitment today for the new Kigali airport, which is expected to open in 2028. Rwandans in the diaspora can also apply.

For now, the positions available are technical: metrologists, air traffic controllers, ground technicians, etc.

https://x.com/RwandaLabour/status/2069076290255077557

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Nigeria and RwandAir launch an expanded cargo corridor for the AfCFTA to reduce export costs https://www.rnanews.com/le-nigeria-et-r ... portation/

The CEO of RwandAir visits the Indian ambassador to Rwanda (https://x.com/IndiaKigali/status/2068016326455550425), plus RwandAir is looking for a commercial manager in India (https://www.rwandair.com/connect-with-u ... ger-india/). It looks like a resumption of flights to India, probably tagged with Guangzhou (https://www.rwandair.com/connect-with-u ... ger-china/). Not convinced about the resumption of flights to India.

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By curiosity, I checked the Salamair website for the Kigali-Muscat route. Bookings opened over 1 month ago and the 1st flight will be in 1 month. Apparently, there are some superstitious people out there, for the first MCT-KGL flight. Everyone's at the front. For your information, these are the passengers who reserved a seat. Depending on the options, it may or may not be possible to book a seat in advance. Therefore, this doesn't reflect the occupancy rate at that precise moment or in a month's time (first flight). I've researched other flights in larger markets, and sometimes we see empty planes.

I just noticed that Salamair's A321s have four different configurations, three of which include business class (4 or 12 seats https://seatmaps.com/airlines/ov-salama ... s-a321neo/). These are the two-class configurations that will fly to Kigali. So, the airline is clearly prioritizing filling business class (which is mostly occupied on the KGL-MCT and MCT-KGL routes) rather than sending an A320neo with 180 seats in a single class configuration.

There are also possible flights on Oman Air/Salamair; I saw a CDG-MCT-KGL route. I'm not sure it will attract many people, apart from a few aviation enthusiasts. The return trip is longer.

That doesn't change the fact that I'm not optimistic about the success of this route, but I hope I'm wrong. Since 2010, 10 airlines have launched (or relaunched) flights to Kigali; only 3 no longer operate (FlyDubai, JamboJet, and South African Airways).

** Auric Air, KLM, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Badr Airlines, FlyDubai, JamboJet, South African Airways (SAA served Kigali from 2003 to 2006 via Entebbe), Egyptair. Salamair will be the 11th airline.