RwandAir yesterday resumed flights to South Sudan capital Juba. The development comes almost a week after the national carrier suspended flights to Juba, following outbreak of fighting between rival forces in the world’s youngest nation.

John Mirenge, the RwandAir chief executive officer, said the airline resumed its daily flights to Juba after thorough assessment of the security situation.

"We have decided to resume our routine flights to Juba after a complete analysis of the situation,” he told The New Times.

A tense ceasefire is holding in South Sudan after President Salva Kiir and his deputy, Riek Machar, called on their respective forces to end the renewed clashes that have alarmed the international community.

The two rival leaders reached an agreement to form a transitional unity government in August last year, which paved the way for the return of Machar and his political and military allies to Juba, but recent fighting has raised concerns about the commitment of both sides to lasting peace.

Currently, RwandAir flies to over 17 destinations, including Nairobi, Entebbe, Mombasa, Bujumbura, Lusaka, Juba, Douala, Dar-es-salaam, Kilimanjaro, Johannesburg, Dubai, Lagos, Libreville and Brazzaville.

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

IOSA programme is an internationally recognised and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline.

The national carrier last year signed a purchase agreement with Airbus to acquire Airbus A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft.

The wide body aircraft are expected in September and November, respectively.

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