Rwanda’s aviation industry is still operating to and from Nairobi, Kenya despite the existing turmoil there, the Director General of Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (RCCA), Joshua Mbaraga, has said. Mbaraga said that the aviation industry is not much affected by the Kenyan crisis which has paralyzed many businesses, and that passengers still travel to Kenya. However, the Director General of RCCA said that aviation fuel had been affected. “And for fear of running short of reserves since there is no supply, we have advised air operators to come with fuel for their planes,” he continued.Speaking to Manzi Kayihura, the chief executive officer of Rwandair Express, he said that their flights to Nairobi Kenya are still on schedule. “However, lack of fuel has affected us as well,” he said. But when asked about the RCCA advice to all air operators, Kayihura said that Rwandair Express has no reserves tanks for fuel reservation. “ So we refill our planes in Nairobi as a way of reserving,” he continued. He further revealed that they will still operate as long as the Nairobi airports in Kenya are still operating as they have about 90 per cent of passengers who do flight connections in Nairobi. Violence erupted on December 30th after President Mwai Kibaki was announced winner of a widely disputed presidential poll over his main challenger Raila Odinga. The violent demonstrations and killings have generally disrupted business in the region. The crisis has also seen Kenya’s immediate neighbour Uganda suffer the greatest oil crisis in history, with prices shooting up to almost Shs10,000, which has greatly disrupted all the transport business sector and brought it to a near standstill. Rwanda too has been affected, forcing the government to initiate fuel rationing so as to maintain a steady supply to its citizens.Ends
