National carrier, RwandAir on Thursday morning launched its new direct flight to Doha, the capital city of Qatar.

The maiden flight to Doha was witnessed by the Rwandan delegation led by the Ambassador of Rwanda in Qatar Francis Nkulikiyimfura, flanked by several other officials at the Hamad International Airport.

The launch, officials told The New Times, is part of a comprehensive codeshare agreement that was recently signed between RwandAir and Qatar Airways.

In an earlier interview, Yvonne Manzi Makolo, RwandAir Chief Executive hailed the development, saying it marked the beginning of an exciting new journey with Qatar Airways.

"We are also immensely proud to welcome Doha to our route network, connecting customers with Qatar's hub and further expanding their flight map," she added.

She explained that: "The codeshare agreement will give our customers significantly more choice and flexibility, allowing RwandAir to strengthen its global presence and build on its strong and loyal African customer base.”

Under the agreement, RwandAir customers will also be able to book attractive offers to popular destinations in the United States such as New York, Washington D.C., Dallas and Los Angeles.

Other attractive offers include extending to key European cities, such as London, Zurich and Madrid, and points across Asia, such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

The agreement will also increase Qatar Airways' footprint in Africa, with access to destinations such as Bujumbura, Kinshasa and Lubumbashi, according to an earlier statement.

The maiden flight comes at a time the airline has embarked on the recovery journey, despite the current situation of the new outbreak of Omicron, the new Covid-19 variant that will most likely stifle the airline’s efforts.

Earlier this year, for instance, RwandAir became the first African airline to achieve Diamond status in the APEX Health Safety audit powered by SimpliFlying, the global recognition for airlines in health and hygiene matters.

RwandAir currently offers services to 26 destinations across 21 countries throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.