RwandAir

RwandAir

File:RwandAir Logo.png
IATA ICAO Callsign WB RWD RWANDAIR
Founded	1 December 2002
Commenced operations	27 April 2003
Operating bases	Kigali International Airport
Fleet size	7
Destinations	13
Headquarters	Kigali International Airport Kigali, Rwanda
Key people	Girma Wake Chairman John Mirenge Chief Executive Officer
Website	Homepage

RwandAir is an airline with its head office on the grounds of Kigali International Airport in Kigali, Rwanda. It is the national carrier, operating services to East Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa and the Middle East.

RwandAir began operations on 1 December 2002 as the new national carrier under the name Rwandair Express (passenger Air transportation as the core activity) for Rwanda with a concession to carry out airport ground handling (ancillary activity) at Kigali International airport, Kanombe. In March 2009, the airline registered a new trademark “RwandAir ltd” which is its current operating name.

Operating from Kigali as its hub, RwandAir are the fastest growing airline on the African continent. The airline has a fleet of Boeing 737-800NGs, Boeing 737-500s, CRJ-900s and a Dash8-200.

RwandAir serves two Domestic destinations, all the East African capital cities of Nairobi, Entebbe, Mombasa, Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro and Mwanza with daily flights and fly to Johannesburg, Dubai, Lagos in Nigeria, Libreville in Gabon and Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo. In February 2013, John Mirenge announced that the airline will fly to Accra, Cape Town,Harare, Juba and Zanzibar, in 2013.

Airline expansion

In December 2008, press reports indicated that RwandAir was planning to expand its regional route network to include Dar-es-Salaam, Addis Ababa, Mwanza, Lusaka and Kinshasa. A new domestic service to Gisenyi was also planned. New aircraft to service these new routes were reportedly being sourced.

In June 2009, the airline officially re-branded from Rwandair Express to RwandAir, because the new name implies a large, serious airline, while the "Express" in the former name implies a small regional operation. In May 2010, Rene Janata became the CEO, 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

In July 2010 the first of RwandAir's new Boeing 737-500's arrived; the second one arrived on 20 October 2010. Both are leased from General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) and each has a two class configuration with 12 business class seats.

In August 2011 the airline took delivery of their first aircraft purchased directly from an airline manufacturer. All prior aircraft operated by RwandAir have been either leased or bought as a second hand. The aircraft purchased is a Boeing 737-800 with Sky Interior, also known as Boeing 737 Next Generation, and is the only one operating among African air carriers. The flight departed from Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, United States at 5:30 PM PST. It made its first stop in Keflavík International Airport in Iceland, then it headed for a second stop to Istanbul, Turkey. It finally arrived in Kigali, Rwanda, after a 20 hours flight.

In October 2011 RwandAir placed an option for two Boeing 787s for delivery in 2015 or 2016. In the same month they also took delivery of their second Boeing Next-Generation 737-800. During January 2012, the airline disposed of the two CRJ200 aircraft it owned, in anticipation of acquiring two CRJ-900NGs.

Destinations

RwandAir serves the following destinations (excluding codeshare destinations) as of April 2013:

	Hub
	Future
	Terminated route

Codeshare agreements

RwandAir has the following codeshare agreements at December 2012:

• Brussels Airlines (Star Alliance)
• Ethiopian Airlines (Star Alliance)

In April 2009, it was announced that RwandAir will code share with Brussels Airlines. All the flights operated by Brussels Airlines between Brussels and Kigali will carry both a SN and a WB flight number. The commercial deal between Brussels Airlines and RwandAir enables the Rwandan airline to sell 10 seats in economy class as a marketing carrier. In September 2009, RwandAir signed a code share agreement with Ethiopian Airlines. In May 2010 the airline announced a new codeshare with Air Uganda. That codeshare arrangement was terminated in March 2012.

Head office

The head office is located on the top floor of the main building of Kigali International Airport

The airline has its head office on the top floor of the main building of Kigali International Airport in Kigali, Rwanda. The airline previously had its head office in Centenary House in Kigali. 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. At one previous point the airline had its head office in the Telcom House.

Fleet

RwandAir Boeing 737-55D 7Q-YKW in the old livery

RwandAir operates the following aircraft (as of February 2013):

RwandAir fleet

Aircraft	Total	Orders	Passengers			Registration Numbers	Notes
			C	Y	Total
Boeing 737-55D	2	—	12	80	92	9XR-WD 9XR-WE	ex-LOT Polish Airlines To be phased out in Mid 2013
Boeing 737-700	—	2	—	NC	NC	NC	To be leased in Mid 2013, from ILFC.
Boeing 737-84Y WIN	2	—	16	138	154	9XR-WF 9XR-WG	Acquired New
Bombardier CRJ900 NextGen	2	—	7	68	75	9XR-WH 9XR-WI	Ordered New. Delivered in 2012
Bombardier DHC-8-102	2	—	—	37	37	5Y-BXU	Leased from Aircraft Leasing Services Leased from 748 Air Services
Total	8

External links

• RwandAir Homepage
• Rwandair UK Website
• Rwandair Commissions Two Own Aircraft
• RwandAir Plans Expansion
• Photo of Rwandair CRJ-200LR
• RwandAir aircraft