Rwanda’s aviation sector continues to attract more airlines, with the latest entrant being flydubai. The development also means that competition on some routes, especially the Kigali-Dubai route, will tighten.

Flydubai, a budget airline based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will be operating three flights a week between Kigali and Dubai, effective September 27, according to Ghaith Al Ghaith, the airline’s chief executive officer. The airline will also be flying to Bujumbura, Burundi and Entebbe in Uganda, besides the Kigali route.

"We are delighted to announce the launch of three new East African destinations which also sees flydubai become the first national carrier from the UAE to fly to Rwanda and Burundi, underlining our commitment to opening up underserved markets,” Al Ghaith said in a statement.

Flydubai will be operating scheduled flights on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The airline brings the number of commercial airlines that serve Kigali International Airport to 11, including RwandAir, Kenya Airlines, Qatar, Turkish Airlines, Ethiopia Airlines and KLM.

The government is investing heavily in the aviation industry to support a growing tourism sector and spur growth. Already, it has injected over $17 million for expansion works at Kigali International Airport and plans to issue a Eurobond of up to $1 billion early next year to fast-track the construction of Bugesera International Airport along other construction projects.