National Carrier RwandAir will launch flights to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital on 17th of April, the firm has said. RwandAir will operate three weekly direct flights from Kigali hub to NDjili International Airport, the largest of the four international airports in DRC. The route will be operated on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays by a Boeing 737-800NG offering 15 seats in business class and 136 seats in economy class. Passengers can now book flights to the Central African nation via the firm’s website, sales offices, and agencies. In May 2019, RwandAir plans to operate three additional night flights a week to Kinshasa with a CRJ-900NextGen offering 7 seats in business and 68 in economy class. Yvonne Manzi Makolo, the Chief Executive of the airline said that the development will among other things boost business and ties between the DRC and Rwanda. “This new route will support our growth and increase our footprint in Africa. We also believe the addition of Kinshasa will boost business and strengthen commercial ties between the two countries” she said. Kinshasa is the third-largest urban area in Africa after Lagos and Cairo, it hosts the country’s major industrial and commercial companies. Kinshasa will be the 23rd RwandAir destination in Africa extending RwandAir’s network across the globe to 27 destinations. The development follows the recent signing of a bilateral service air agreement that will allow RwandAir to fly to Kinshasa by officials from both countries signed in March this year in DRC. Kigali-Kinshasa route is viable for both passenger and cargo business and that for a while they have been keen on launching operations on it. DRC is a strategic trading partner with Rwanda. According to central bank data, DRC remains the main destination for Rwanda’s informal exports, accounting for 86.9 per cent of Kigali’s informal cross border exports. RwandAir, which in recent years has been expanding its wings to new destinations as it seeks to reach previously unserved markets, could drive the growth of formal trade between the countries.
