March 24, 2023

RwandAir Targets “Profitable” Intra-Africa Travel, Phase Out Small Regional Carriers


Trustworthy and indepth news stories are more important now than ever.
Support our newsroom by MAKING A CONTRIBUTION HERE

RwandAir (WB, Kigali) plans to homogenise its current diversified fleet as well as phase out its Bombardier Aerospace regional jets and possibly De Havilland Aircraft of Canada turboprops, says Chief Executive Officer Yvonne Manzi Makolo.

The airline operates two CRJ900ERs and two DHC-8-Q400s.

“We have a very diversified fleet but want to rationalise it,” she said on an Aviadev Africa podcast on March 1, 2023.

“We are looking at expanding the B737 fleet and the A330 fleet. We are working on phasing out the CRJs and are discussing regional aircraft, the Q400s as well, whether to continue with that or to look for alternatives.”

Meanwhile, RwandAir took delivery last week of an ex-Avianca Airlines A330-200 on lease from Merx Aviation Finance. EI-HJJ (msn 1224) – to be reregistered in Rwanda as 9XR-WX, France, according to Flightradar24 ADS-data.

It is likely to be used to boost capacity on Rwandair’s London Heathrow, UK route, and to help launch a new service to Paris CDG, France, from Brussels Charleroi, Belgium.

Makolo said the A330 “will add more capacity for us given the fact that we split London from Brussels – it used to be tied to the Brussels route, but now we operate to London directly.”

“We need additional widebody capacity as well. We will soon be launching Paris tied to Brussels, and we also deploy the A330 on the Dubai International (UAE) route to support both passengers and cargo. So this will really be instrumental for us.”

Makolo added that RwandAir planned to gear up to daily frequencies to London in the winter 2023 season. The airline already operates a widebody fleet of two in-house A330s (one A330-200 and one A330-300), ch-aviation fleets advanced data reveals.

Its narrowbody fleet comprises one B737-700, four B737-800s, and one B737-800(SF) freighter, according to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module. It half-owns/half-leases its entire fleet.

Makolo said the A330 widebodies and the dedicated Boeing freighter had enabled the airline to grow its belly-hold and entire cargo operation, which has become a strong revenue stream.

She said: “We’ve seen double-digit growth in cargo revenue. The acquisition of the A330s has allowed us to grow that section. We transport a lot of fresh produce such as avocados, chillies, and fresh-cut flowers and other fruits and vegetables. The export sector has grown tremendously in Rwanda. According to the latest statistics, it has grown by about 1,000% since 2017, so we are really leveraging that. That’s the bulk of our exports to Dubai, Brussels, and London. We also move cargo between African countries, which was the thinking behind getting the cargo freighter – to support the belly freight operation. So we are expanding our cargo footprint. We’re very excited about that, and we will focus more on that going forward.”

Makolo said strategic partnership discussions with Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) were at an advanced stage.

“We are hopefully on the tail-end of that,” she said.

First unveiled in 2020, Qatar Airways plans to invest USD28 million for a 49% stake in the state-owned carrier. Alongside the airline deal is the development of Kigali’s new Bugesera airport, primarily funded by Qatar Airways.

“Discussions are ongoing. We are looking forward to concluding that. For the airline, it will be great to have a strategic partner like Qatar Airways and have a new airport with a capacity of seven million passengers in the first phase. That will give the airline the opportunity to really grow and really establish itself as a regional hub,” Makolo said.

RwandAir has long been following a regional hub strategy with aspirations to position Kigali as an alternative to other airports in the East African region. The bulk of its routes is intra-African, which are the most profitable, according to Makolo.

The intercontinental network includes London, Brussels, Dubai, Doha Hamad International (Qatar) and Mumbai International (India).

“We operate a hub-and-spoke model, and this works. It’s grown the airline at a fast pace since it started over 20 years ago. We intend to continue especially focusing on intra-African routes and really connecting Rwanda to the rest of Africa and Africa to the rest of the world,” she said.

“We have a lot of 5th freedom flights as well, and as they develop, we move them to point-to-point flights. It’s working well, and we will continue operating that way, starting with fifth freedom flights and building them into direct flights,” she explained.

We can't do quality journalism without your support

Perhaps it goes without saying — but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. At a time when newsroom resources and revenue are declining, The Chronicles remains committed to "Serving Your Right To Know The Truth". Stand with us as we document Rwanda's remarkable journey for you and the future generation. Do you value our journalism? We can't do it without you. Show us with your support by CONTRIBUTING HERE.
Email your news TIPS to info@chronicles.rw or WhatsApp +250788351327.
You can also find us on Signal

109 Comments

  1. When someone writes an post he/she maintains the plan of a user in his/her mind that how a user can know it. So that’s why this article is perfect. Thanks!

  2. Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon everyday.
    It will always be exciting to read content from other writers
    and use something from their web sites.

  3. Hello there, simply was aware of your blog through Google, and found that it is really informative. I’m gonna watch out for brussels. I will appreciate in the event you continue this in future. Lots of other people shall be benefited from your writing. Cheers!

  4. Having read this I thought it was extremely informative. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this information together. I once again find myself spending way too much time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worth it!

  5. We’re a bunch of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your website provided us with useful information to paintings on. You have done a formidable process and our whole group shall be grateful to you.

  6. Thanks for one’s marvelous posting! I certainly enjoyed reading it, you happen to be a great author.I will always bookmark your blog and will often come back later on. I want to encourage continue your great job, have a nice afternoon!

  7. One thing I’d really like to say is always that before buying more personal computer memory, check out the machine in which it would be installed. If the machine is actually running Windows XP, for instance, a memory threshold is 3.25GB. The installation of a lot more than this would purely constitute a new waste. Be sure that one’s motherboard can handle this upgrade amount, as well. Great blog post.

  8. Good day! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this site? I’m getting tired of WordPress because I’ve had issues with hackers and I’m looking at options for another platform. I would be fantastic if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

  9. I have taken notice that in cameras, extraordinary devices help to {focus|concentrate|maintain focus|target|a**** automatically. The particular sensors involving some cameras change in in the area of contrast, while others start using a beam of infra-red (IR) light, especially in low lighting. Higher specs cameras sometimes use a blend of both systems and might have Face Priority AF where the photographic camera can ‘See’ any face while focusing only on that. Many thanks for sharing your ideas on this site.

  10. W88 has entered a partnership with Burnley, in what is the brand’s fifth shirt sponsorship deal with an English Premier League club.

  11. hey there and thank you for your information – I’ve definitely picked up anything
    new from right here. I did however expertise several technical points
    using this web site, since I experienced to reload the site lots of times previous
    to I could get it to load properly. I had been wondering
    if your hosting is OK? Not that I am complaining,
    but slow loading instances times will very frequently affect
    your placement in google and could damage your quality score if advertising and
    marketing with Adwords. Well I’m adding this RSS to my e-mail and could look out for much more of your respective fascinating content.
    Ensure that you update this again soon.

  12. I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was wondering what all is required to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100 positive. Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

  13. Howdy! I realize this is kind of off-topic but I had to ask. Does building a well-established blog like yours take a massive amount work? I’m completely new to writing a blog but I do write in my diary daily. I’d like to start a blog so I can share my own experience and views online. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or tips for new aspiring bloggers. Appreciate it!

  14. you’re really a good webmaster. The web site loading speed is amazing. It seems that you are doing any unique trick. Moreover, The contents are masterpiece. you have done a fantastic job on this topic!

  15. I need to to thank you for this great read!! I certainly enjoyed
    every little bit of it. I have got you saved as a favorite
    to look at new things you post…

  16. I’ve been exploring for a little for any high-quality articles or blog posts in this kind of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this site. Reading this info So i’m satisfied to exhibit that I have a very good uncanny feeling I came upon exactly what I needed. I so much unquestionably will make certain to don?t disregard this site and give it a look on a continuing basis.

  17. Heya just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the images aren’t loading correctly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show the same results.

  18. Superb site you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any community forums that cover the same topics talked about in this article? I’d really love to be a part of group where I can get comments from other knowledgeable individuals that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Thanks a lot!

  19. Good blog you have here.. It’s hard to find quality writing like yours these
    days. I seriously appreciate people like you! Take care!!

  20. An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a coworker who was doing a little research on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast because I found it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending the time to discuss this matter here on your internet site.

  21. Hi there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m definitely glad I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back often!

  22. Magnificent goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you’re just too magnificent. I actually like what you’ve acquired here, really like what you are saying and the way in which you say it. You make it enjoyable and you still take care of to keep it wise. I can’t wait to read much more from you. This is really a terrific site.

  23. I like what you guys are up too. This type of clever work and exposure! Keep up the great works guys I’ve incorporated you guys to my blogroll.

  24. I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own blog and was
    curious what all is needed to get set up? I’m assuming having a blog like
    yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100% sure.
    Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

  25. One other issue is when you are in a circumstance where you would not have a cosigner then you may want to try to wear out all of your educational funding options. You’ll find many grants or loans and other scholarships that will present you with funds to support with university expenses. Many thanks for the post.

  26. hey there and thank you for your information ? I have certainly picked up something new from right here. I did however expertise some technical points using this website, as I experienced to reload the site many times previous to I could get it to load correctly. I had been wondering if your web hosting is OK? Not that I’m complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will very frequently affect your placement in google and could damage your quality score if advertising and marketing with Adwords. Anyway I am adding this RSS to my e-mail and can look out for a lot more of your respective fascinating content. Ensure that you update this again soon..

  27. One thing I would really like to say is the fact that car insurance cancellation is a feared experience so if you’re doing the right things like a driver you simply won’t get one. A lot of people do obtain the notice that they are officially dropped by their particular insurance company and several have to struggle to get added insurance after having a cancellation. Affordable auto insurance rates are generally hard to get following a cancellation. Understanding the main reasons for auto insurance cancelling can help motorists prevent getting rid of in one of the most critical privileges obtainable. Thanks for the suggestions shared by means of your blog.

  28. I used to be very happy to seek out this internet-site.I needed to thanks in your time for this glorious read!! I positively having fun with each little bit of it and I’ve you bookmarked to take a look at new stuff you blog post.

  29. My programmer is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on a variety of websites for about a year and am anxious about switching to another platform. I have heard excellent things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress content into it? Any kind of help would be really appreciated!

  30. In these days of austerity plus relative panic about getting debt, most people balk contrary to the idea of employing a credit card to make purchase of merchandise and also pay for any gift giving occasion, preferring, instead only to rely on a tried along with trusted means of making transaction – cash. However, if you possess the cash on hand to make the purchase in whole, then, paradoxically, this is the best time to be able to use the card for several motives.

  31. Hello very nice blog!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your website and take the feeds also? I am glad to find numerous useful information here in the submit, we’d like develop more strategies in this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .

  32. Just desire to say your article is as astonishing. The clarity for your put up is simply great and i could think you’re a professional in this subject. Fine together with your permission let me to snatch your RSS feed to keep up to date with drawing close post. Thank you 1,000,000 and please carry on the enjoyable work.

  33. whoah this blog is wonderful i love studying your articles. Keep up the great work! You realize, many persons are hunting around for this information, you could help them greatly.

  34. Interesting post made here. One thing I’d like to say is that most professional domains consider the Bachelor Degree as the entry level standard for an online education. When Associate Degrees are a great way to get started, completing the Bachelors reveals many doors to various employment opportunities, there are numerous internet Bachelor Course Programs available coming from institutions like The University of Phoenix, Intercontinental University Online and Kaplan. Another issue is that many brick and mortar institutions provide Online variants of their degree programs but commonly for a greatly higher amount of money than the providers that specialize in online degree plans.

  35. Pretty part of content. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and in accession capital to say that I acquire in fact enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing in your augment or even I fulfillment you access consistently rapidly.

  36. One thing I have actually noticed is there are plenty of myths regarding the banks intentions any time talking about property foreclosures. One misconception in particular is always that the bank prefers to have your house. Your banker wants your hard earned dollars, not the home. They want the cash they lent you with interest. Keeping away from the bank will only draw the foreclosed final result. Thanks for your publication.

  37. Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to say that I have truly enjoyed surfing around your blog posts. After all I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again very soon!

  38. According to my study, after a foreclosed home is sold at an auction, it is common with the borrower to still have some sort ofthat remaining balance on the bank loan. There are many lenders who make an effort to have all costs and liens cleared by the up coming buyer. Nonetheless, depending on specified programs, polices, and state regulations there may be several loans that aren’t easily sorted out through the switch of loans. Therefore, the responsibility still falls on the client that has got his or her property foreclosed on. Many thanks for sharing your ideas on this blog site.

  39. Hi there this is kinda of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding experience so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

  40. Hmm it appears like your site ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have any suggestions for inexperienced blog writers? I’d certainly appreciate it.

  41. Thanks for your strategies. One thing really noticed is the fact that banks along with financial institutions really know the spending habits of consumers and as well understand that the majority of people max outside their credit cards around the trips. They prudently take advantage of this kind of fact and begin flooding ones inbox along with snail-mail box with hundreds of Zero APR credit cards offers right after the holiday season finishes. Knowing that for anyone who is like 98 of the American general public, you’ll get at the possible opportunity to consolidate credit card debt and shift balances to 0 APR credit cards.

  42. One other important area is that if you are a mature person, travel insurance regarding pensioners is something you should really take into account. The elderly you are, greater at risk you’re for getting something bad happen to you while in another country. If you are never covered by several comprehensive insurance policies, you could have many serious issues. Thanks for sharing your good tips on this web blog.

  43. I am extremely inspired with your writing skills and alsowell as with the format for your blog. Is this a paid topic or did you customize it yourself? Either way stay up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to see a nice blog like this one these days..

  44. Thanks for the thoughts you are sharing on this blog site. Another thing I’d really like to say is always that getting hold of duplicates of your credit history in order to scrutinize accuracy of any detail could be the first action you have to accomplish in repairing credit. You are looking to clean your credit file from harmful details problems that spoil your credit score.

  45. I can’t help but be impressed by the way you break down complex concepts into easy-to-digest information. Your writing style is not only informative but also engaging, which makes the learning experience enjoyable and memorable. It’s evident that you have a passion for sharing your knowledge, and I’m grateful for that.

  46. Hey this is kind of of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding knowledge so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be enormously appreciated!

  47. I must commend your talent for simplifying complex topics. Your ability to convey intricate ideas in such a relatable way is admirable. You’ve made learning enjoyable and accessible for many, and I appreciate that.

  48. Your enthusiasm for the subject matter radiates through every word of this article; it’s contagious! Your commitment to delivering valuable insights is greatly valued, and I eagerly anticipate more of your captivating content. Keep up the exceptional work!

  49. I must applaud your talent for simplifying complex topics. Your ability to convey intricate ideas in such a relatable manner is admirable. You’ve made learning enjoyable and accessible for many, and I deeply appreciate that.

  50. Your blog is a true gem in the vast online world. Your consistent delivery of high-quality content is admirable. Thank you for always going above and beyond in providing valuable insights. Keep up the fantastic work!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *