Rwanda, Mali ink airspace agreement

Rwanda and Mali Monday inked a bilateral airspace service agreement (BASA) meant to facilitate opening of each country's airspace to their national carriers.

According to the agreement, all air service operations will be conducted under the fifth freedom arrangement.

This means an airline has the right to carry passengers from one country to another and from that country to a third destination with unlimited frequencies per week for both passenger and cargo services, according to officials.

Alexis Nzahabwanimana, Rwanda's State Minister for Transport, said the agreement is expected to enhance connectivity between the two countries as well as reduce the cost of transport between Kigali and Bamako.

The deal is a culmination of the Yamoussoukro decision signed in 2000 by 44 countries committing to open African skies to facilitate aviation business on the continent.

The deal would cut travel time by about five hours between the two countries.

Passengers travelling from Kigali to Bamako in Mali currently connect either through Ethiopia or Nairobi, a distance of more than 10 hours.

Rwanda has so far signed similar agreements with 38 countries in Africa and beyond.

Traore Seynabou Diop, Mali's Minister for Transport said the agreement is out of strengthened bilateral relationship between Rwanda and Mali.

Enhanced connectivity will translate into increased export and tourism receipts for both countries, he said.

John Mirenge, the chief executive officer of RwandAir, said the deal comes in handy as the airline tried to spread its wings across the African continent.

Bamako has proximity to other west African markets such as Conakry, and Dakar, Senegal. Endit