At exactly 4:30pm Friday, hundreds of Zambians got to see what they had long waited for; when RwandAir’s flight WB 0100 touched down at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, for the first time.

On board were more than 100 passengers who graced the inaugural flight to the southern African country.

"We have come here to stay and help connect trade and people of Rwanda and Zambia,” were the welcoming remarks from John Mirenge, the airline’s Chief Executive Officer.

The airline is now committed to three weekly flights from Kigali to Lusaka on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at $425.

"Our mission is to make sure we connect businesses and spur growth whatever it takes, we are now transporting more than half a million people every year and we want to grow that number to more than a million,” Mirenge said.

Yamfwa Mukanga, Zambia’s minister in charge of transport works and communication, lauded RwandAir for offering an alternative to Zambians.

"It is yet another milestone that will help strengthen both bilateral and commercial relationships; there is a lot Zambia is poised to learn from Rwanda, including good leadership and cleanliness,” Mukanga said.

It’s indeed an alternative because prior to these flights, passengers had no choice but to go through Johannesburg, South Africa, Nairobi, Kenya to Kigali; taking more than eight hours in the process.

Now it will only take two hours for one to fly from Kigali to Lusaka.

Kipyego Chelluget, the assistant secretary general Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), attributed the RwandAir’s expansion strategy to the region’s efforts to facilitate and harmonise air traffic management and sky policy.

"We will continue to support efforts to facilitate and maximize on open sky policy because we believe its key to movement of people, goods and service, an ingredient for economic development,” Chelluget said.

The Lusaka route will offer convenience and affordable flights to the passengers who will also take advantage of connections to what is now 18 destinations across Africa and beyond.

According to Judith Kangoma, the Zambian Higher Commissioner to Rwanda, the flights will help boost the tourism industry between the two countries

Apart from expecting the delivery of a second brand new dual class Bombardier Q400 Next Generation aircraft by early next year, the airline also signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus to acquire two brand new triple class configuration A330s by 2016.

These, according to experts, will help boost the airline’s plans to expand to further destinations including Europe and Asia.

Recently, RwandAir was ranked one of the safest across the globe after passing the International Air Transport Association (IATA) operational safety audit.

It is now awaiting another certification, the IATA safety audit for ground operations, expected to be completed by June 2016.

The Lusaka - Johannesburg route

The national carrier also signed a code share agreement with a Zambian Proflight airline on Lusaka- Johannesburg route.

RwandAir will operate as the main carrier and Pro-flight Zambia as the marketing carrier, Gobena Mikael, RwandAir’s general manager in charge of Commerce said in an earlier interview with The New Times.

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