RwandAir Plans to develop its regional route network by making Kigali International Airport a central hub, given its geographical position right at the heart of Africa.

In an interview with AviaDev, RwandAir CEO Yvonne Manzi Makolo spoke about increasing the airline's operations with new aircraft, new regional routes, and a new focus on cargo operations. With Rwanda located at the heart of Africa, Kigali Airport can be developed into a central hub for African destinations and as an alternative to East-African airports like Entebbe and Jomo Kenyatta.

Although RwandAir has a growing international route network serving London, Brussels, Doha, Dubai, and Mumbai, regional routes have proved to be the most profitable for the carrier. The airline has proliferated since it began operations 20 years ago, and the CEO is very excited about it. She said in the interview;

"Rwanda is lucky to be strategically placed right in the heart of Africa, and given the opportunities within the African continent, it's still a completely underserved area, we believe there's a lot of opportunity to really connect African countries with each other. We have a lot of fifth-freedom flights as well, and as we develop them, we move them to point-to-point flights. So as I said, it's worked well. And we continue operating in that way, starting with return flights and then building them out to direct flights.”

Developing cargo operations

Cargo has become a significant revenue stream for RwandAir, seeing double-digit growth in cargo revenue, even throughout the pandemic. In November, the airline took delivery of its first dedicated cargo aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 SF, which it operates to numerous key destinations in Africa and the Middle East, including Johannesburg, Nairobi, and Dubai.

Rwanda is a landlocked country; therefore, air freight services become even more critical given the distances which would have to be covered by rail and road. The flag carrier is leveraging on its fresh-produce exports, which include avocados, chilies, fresh garlic, fruit, and other vegetables, which it exports to Belgium, UAE, and the UK.

RwandAir also moves cargo between different African countries, which is the driving force behind acquiring its first dedicated freighter. This week, the airline is expected to receive another new aircraft, an Airbus A330, which will increase its passenger and belly capacity. The carrier's bottom line is to expand its cargo footprint, Yvonne Makolo added;

"The acquisition of the A330 aircraft has given us the opportunity to really grow that section as we transport a lot of fresh produce. Since 2017, the export sector has grown tremendously in Rwanda according to the latest statistic. It has grown by 1,000% or something like that."

Developing international and regional passenger operations

Although the airline serves some of the busiest international destinations, including London Heathrow (LHR) and Dubai International (DXB), it has realized that its regional network is more profitable and essential for developing aviation in Africa. RwandAir currently serves over 28 countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

RwandAir had been operating flights to London via Brussels, but it recently split the two destinations, to fly directly from Kigali to London. The delivery of the new A330 will boost its international and regional passenger operations as it plans to deploy the aircraft on its Dubai route.

The national carrier needs additional widebody capacity as it plans to launch a route between Kigali and Paris tagged to Brussels, which is set to commence before the end of the year. RwandAir also plans to phase out its Bombardier CRJ aircraft and expand the B737 and A330 fleet.

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First female chair of the IATA Board of Governors

Last year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that RwandAir CEO Yvonne Manzi Makolo will be the chair of the Board of Governors (BoG) from June 2023, after the current chair Mehmet Tevfik Nane's term. Makolo will become the first African and female to assume this role.

As the upcoming chair, she intends to use this position to support other board members by promoting IATA's 25by2025 initiative. 25by2025 is a campaign by the transport association which plans to make the aviation industry more gender-balanced. By committing to this program, an organization will increase the number of women in senior positions and under-represented areas by or up to 25% by 2025.

She also intends to develop aviation in Africa by putting it on the global stage by partnering with both African and international airlines. There are a lot of opportunities for growth in the continent, which is highly underserved. Yvonne stated in the interview with Aviadev;

"It's also an opportunity to change the narrative. The narrative of African Airlines is that they are loss-making and unsafe, and it's exactly so, but we have really bright spots in African aviation. The opportunities are for the people who want to travel, and air is the most effective way for people to be connected in this huge continent of ours. So the opportunity is there, and we need to leverage it now."

Also on the agenda is the promotion of IATA's sustainability mandate, which aims to reach net-zero carbon emissions through using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and building new technologies.

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Development of African trade and aviation

Rwanda and the national carrier are at the forefront of promoting SAATM and the AfCFTA, which will be pivotal in developing trade and aviation around Africa. The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) is an agenda of the African Union to create a single unified air transport market within the continent, advance the liberalization of civil aviation, and act as an impetus to the continent's economic integration.

SAATM is possible through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), an ambitious agreement by African states, meant to eliminate trade barriers. By eliminating trade barriers, AfCFTA aims to significantly boost intra-Africa trade, particularly trade in value-added production and across all sectors of the continent's economy.

In the interview, Yvonne Makolo stated that Rwanda has opened up its borders to investments, travel, and tourism, and in the last couple of years, tourism has shot up by 25% while traffic and trade increased by nearly 50%. You can listen to the full interview in the player below.

By leveraging its location at the continent's center, Rwanda will continue to develop its aviation industry and promote air travel, trade, and tourism. RwandAir plans to add daily flights to and from Heathrow, so whether you are flying from London to Kigali, or from Kigali to Cape Town, right at the foot of Africa, Rwanda has created the shortest way to travel through the continent.

What RwandAir's growth and contribution to the development of African aviation? Let us know in the comments!

Source: AviaDev Africa