Kigali International Airport (KIA) which is regulated by the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA) registered a 17 percent increment in airport traffic.

According to RCAA statement that spells out the 15 year achievements since the liberation struggle, aircraft movements increased 11,000 per annum to 12,972 representing the 17 percent figure in 2008.

"The number has increased and it is even expected to increase further because of the conducive investment climate in the country,” the statement said.
Initially, Kigali was the only international airport in 2002, but also Kamembe Airport was upgraded to standards of an international airport.

The statement further states that by upgrading the Kamembe Airport, it led to an increase in both international and domestic flights.

Despite having started from a disadvantage position after the destruction of facilities and equipment during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

The statement also said, RCAA has recorded a 76.9 percent increase in passengers from 130,000 annually between 2000 and 2003 to 230,000 in 2008. Also the annual cargo increased from 5,000 tones in the same years to 7,400 in 2008.

"In 2009, RCAA registered a tremendous increase in flights into and out of KIA.

The flights include 21 flights per week to Nairobi by Kenya Airways and 14 flights per week to Nairobi by Rwandair, three flights to Kilimanjaro by Rwandair, a flight to Addis Ababa and Bujumbura by Ethiopian airlines and four flights per week to Brussels by SN Brussels and three times to Johannesburg by Rwandair,” the statement said.  

For the numerous achievements that RCAA has registered, has been also attributed to the new reforms made during the 15 years after the liberation struggle.

The reforms include the reinforcement of the ‘run way’ and the extension of the aircraft parking area, widening the entrance and the exit ramp in order to accommodate larger and heavier aircrafts plus many more reforms.

KIA has been identified as one of 17 airports by the ECA to be a future hub network on the African continent. 

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