The national carrier, RwandAir, yesterday welcomed home its eighth aircraft, which it says will boost capacity and efficiency of its operations. 

The brand new dual class Bombardier Q400 NextGen Turboprop Airliner, acquired from Toronto, Canada, touched down at Kigali International Airport at 5:15pm local time amid celebrations.

The 67-seater turboprop aircraft, that is fast, quiet and fuel-efficient, promises to provide the perfect balance of passenger comfort and operating economics with a reduced environmental footprint.

John Mirenge, the airline’s chief executive, said the new arrival will help enhance both efficiency and capacity, which, according to aviation experts, will increase the profitability of the airline.

The new Bombadier takes the airline’s fleet to eight Next Generation aircraft serving its fast-growing network in the region and beyond, he said.

"Our first dual-class, 67-seater Q400 NextGen aircraft has been performing extremely well and has fully met our expectations proving to be capable of performing in our demanding environment. It’s flexibility to support our fleet strategy through increased capacity while efficiently contributing to our commercial strategy is the reason we have ordered the second one,” Mirenge said.

It is a game changer on the African continent in terms of aviation business because it is cheaper to operate, he added.

Dr Alexis Nzahabwanimana, the state minister for transport, said the aircraft’s delivery is an indication that consistency is a key ingredient for profit maximisation.

"We can only reaffirm our commitment to support both the airline and the entire civil aviation business so that they can contribute to our national economic growth,” Minister Nzahabwanimana said.

Currently, the airline operates 18 destinations in western, eastern and southern Africa and the Middle East. It expects to expand its operations to destinations in Europe and Asia by 2016.

RwandAir was recently ranked among the safest airlines across the globe after passing its International Air Transport Association (IATA) operational safety audit.

The airline is now awaiting IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations certification, a process that is expected to be completed by June 2016.

Deal for Airbus 300-200 sealed

Meanwhile, RwandAir and the Eastern and Southern Africa Bank (PTA Bank) have sealed a financial deal that will support the former’s acquisition of two additional aircraft.

The $160 million (about Rwf 116 billion) loan agreement, will facilitate the purchase of two Airbus A300-200 aircraft by September next year.

The acquisition of the two wide body aircraft is expected to significantly increase RwandAir’s capacity to effectively meet growing demand and provide exceptional service quality to the ever-growing long Asia-China and European passenger markets.

"It will enable us to enhance and spread our world-class products and services beyond our current footprint,”Mirenge, said.

PTA Bank’s President, Admassu Tadesse, said the deal would help contribute to the country’s economic development.

"We are delighted to have closed this important agreement. It is in line with the government’s Vision 2020 initiative. This will greatly the boost transport and tourism sectors,” Tadesse said.

Speaking at the same function, Kampeta Sayinzoga, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, and Secretary to Treasury, said the deal is a great step toward connecting the country to the rest of the world.

"Rwanda may be landlocked but it has made a strategic decision not to be air-locked. Our development strategy is to be connected to the rest of the world through this strategic investment, which will serve tourism, and exports, and transform Kigali into a trade and logistics hub. PTA Bank has been, for many years now, a strategic financing partner of choice in the expansion journey of RwandAir,” she said.

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