IATA Delegation Coming to Rwanda
A delegation from The International Air Transport Association (IATA) will be in Kigali to formally present RwandAir with their IOSA Certificate, which catapulted the airline into the global elite of safety audited airlines, guests from near and far will see a lot more than just the airline’s headquarters and operations. They will also see the “new” Kigali International Airport.
The Rwandan government has identified aviation as a key to economic success, being a landlocked country twice removed from the nearest deep sea ocean port of Mombasa, through which most of the imports and exports are routed.
Tourism is the biggest foreign exchange earner and has been for several years, outpacing agriculture, the mining and the service industry, as Rwanda has also established itself as a regional ICT hub.
RwandAir, has over the past three years progressively expanded operations, destinations and the fleet, now operating two B737-800NG SkyInterior, two B737-700NGs, two Bombardier CRJ900 NextGens and one Bombardier Q400 NextGen, as it continues to enlarge its destinations circle.
With more airlines now flying to Kigali than ever before, the latest entrant being flydubai the growth of RwandAir itself has made larger spaces inevitable as it currently goes to a total of 16 destinations.
Two more aircraft are expected to join the fleet in 2015 and 2016, adding yet more growth, and the government took early steps to avoid the perennial congestion Nairobi suffered for several years before the new Terminal 1A was opened a few months ago, or Entebbe where the airport has reached its limits.
Aviation, like everything else in Rwanda, follows a master plan, which while tweaked and adjusted as need arises has brought about a holistic approach, where the national airline and the main airport are backed and financed for expansion side by side, allowing for a success story to be written and a new feather put in to the national cap when IATA hands over the IOSA Certificate on December 10.
“Good governance, good discipline, and good fortunes, all coming together to make this happen, as the land of a lot more than just a thousand Hillscontinues to shine as an African success story, one that not only includes aviation but has it as a centerpiece of future development,” Says a statement from IATA.