RwandAir, the national carrier of the Republic of Rwanda today formally announced that it will commence flights to Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, in April 2019.
RwandAir will operate five weekly direct flights from Kigali to Addis Ababa with a CRJ-900NG aircraft, offering a two class configuration of Business and Economy classes.
Addis Ababa is not only the administrative, financial and commercial center of the country but it also hosts the Headquarters of the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and many other regional offices for a number of international organizations.
With flights to Addis Ababa, RwandAir will be offering seamless connections through its hub in Kigali between Addis Ababa and other African cities in its network.
The addition of Addis Ababa is key to RwandAir’s growth in Africa and it’s also a bridge for strengthening the bilateral relationships and improving trade and tourism between the two countries.
“As an expanding young airline, it is imperative for us to fly to Addis Ababa Bole International airport as it is one of the important hubs in Africa” said Yvonne Manzi Makolo, the CEO of RwandAir before adding: “By starting direct flights to Addis Ababa we expect to offer better connections to East, West and Southern Africa”.
With the addition of Addis Ababa to their network, RwandAir will reach 27 destinations in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, making it a major force in African aviation.
Also planned for next year are flights to New York, still subject to some regulatory approvals and permits and also to Guangzhou in China.
Additional African destinations are also lined up for 2019, supported by the expected delivery of two Airbus A330Neo’s and at least one more Boeing B737-800NG.
Source: Prof Wolfgang Thome ATC News
