RWANDAIR, Rwanda’s state-owned national airline RwandAir plans to fly to Harare and Cape Town, South Africa later this year as part of its expansion programme, it has emerged.
Business Reporter/Bloomberg
The airline will join the growing list of foreign airlines servicing the Harare route since the formation of the inclusive government in 2009.
The company’s chief executive officer John Mirenge said recently. RwandAir will begin flying to the South Sudanese capital, Juba, along with the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar and the Ghanaian capital, Accra, by May.
The carrier, based in the capital, Kigali, boosted passenger numbers by 80% to 360 000 last year and expects a further 39 % increase this year, Mirenge said.
He said that coupled with an expanding fleet and more destinations should help the company report a profit by 2015.
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“To be able to privatise or send floating shares to stock markets, there is a beautification process that takes place,” Mirenge said. “This process includes breaking even, keeping track records and engaging in a standardisation process.”
Mirenge said RwandAir may sell shares to private investors once the company returns to profit in two years.
RwandAir, which started flying in 2002, operates a fleet of two Boeing Co 737-800s, two Boeing 737-500s, two Bombardier Inc CRJ-900 NextGens and a Bombardier Dash-8 100 that serve 12 destinations, according to Mirenge.
This year the airline will take delivery of two Boeing 737-700s as it retires the 737-500s, he said.
The new aircraft will provide feeder flights that connect passengers arriving in Rwanda to destinations including Johannesburg, Lagos and Dubai, Mirenge said.
Rwanda’s government owns 99% of RwandAir.
Several airlines including Dutch KLM, Emirates and Mozambiquen Airlines have resumed flights to country taking advantage of the inactivity of Air Zimbabwe .