Off the wire
• At least 96 children killed in north Syria since last Friday: UNICEF  • Roundup: AU holds groundbreaking ceremony for Chinese-aided project  • U.S. dollar mixed against other major currencies  • TAZARA invites private investors to fill funding gap  • Former Austrian president mourns loss of "trusted friend" Peres  • UN calls for arrest of Somalia journalist killers  • Tanzanian leader commissions two new planes for national airline  • Market town famed for cakes declared unhappiest place in Britain  • EU commission proposes tougher lobbying rules  • Six arrested for illegal turtle trafficking in Madagascar  
You are here: 　 Home

RwandAir acquires East Africa's first Airbus A330-200

Xinhua, September 29, 2016 Adjust font size:

RwandAir, the national carrier of Rwanda, has achieved a remarkable feat, with the acquisition of East Africa's first brand new Airbus A330-200 that was nicknamed "Ubumwe" (unity).

The Rwanda aviation industry which has become one of the largest and most profitable airlines in East Africa has continued to spread wings across Africa and beyond.

The new Airbus A330-200 aircraft, worth 250 million U.S. dollars (about Rwf200 billion), on Wednesday landed at Kigali International Airport amid pomp and glamour at 11 a.m. (local time).

"The aircraft is the first of its kind in East Africa and will help boost RwandAir's capacity to expand its wings globally. Today is a proud day for RwandAir as well as the country as we are the first in the region to own and operate such an aircraft with this great new interior," said John Mirenge, chief executive, RwandAir at an event to receive the aircraft.

He noted that with the purchase of the new airplane, RwandAir will soon add Harare (Zimbabwe), Mumbai (India), and Guangzhou in China on its list of destinations before expanding to Western Europe.

The aircraft which is connected with wireless internet has the capacity to carry 244 passengers which would attract more people to fly with it compared to other smaller planes.

Mirenge said the new wide body aircraft is the biggest milestone for Africa's fastest growing airline and opens up opportunities in terms of expanding the airline's footprint.

According to James Musoni, Rwanda's minister of infrastructure, the new Airbus increases RwandAir's fleet to nine aircraft ready to connect to huge markets on the scene across the World.

"The airline has pursued an aggressive expansion strategy, which has quickly transformed the carrier into one of the East Africa's leading airlines, unrivalled in efficiency and operational success," he said.

Musoni stated that RwandAir has been growing at an average of 20 percent in the last six years and is currently positioning itself as the most efficient and reliable airline in the region.

Airbus 330-200 aircraft brings the airline's total fleet to nine with additional four planes expected to be delivered by end of February next year.

According to RwandAir, a second Airbus 330-300 is due for delivery in November this year.

In 2014, RwandAir and the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank, commonly known as PTA Bank, signed a financial line of credit, worth 160 million U.S. dollars, to support the purchase of the two airliners.

The national carrier successfully renewed its certificate for the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) for another two years to remain competitive.

IOSA program is an internationally recognized evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of airlines.

And there is hope that with two wide body aircraft, the airline's capacity could grow from the current 500,000 passengers annually to more than three million in the next five years. Endit