National carrier RwandAir has announced plans to launch a direct flight to Paris on June 27.
Customers will be able to fly with RwandAir on the only direct service between Rwanda and France as the airline accelerates its ambitious growth strategy and adds a 25th destination to its route map.
According to a statement from the airline, the new flights to the ‘City of Light’, will operate three times a week, giving customers easy access to one of Europe's most stylish and exciting cities, as well connecting France with Kigali, in the heart of Africa.
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"Flight WB700 departs Kigali each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 12:30 am, arriving at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport at 9:30 am the same morning. The returning flight WB701 leaves Paris at 9:30 pm each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, arriving at RwandAir’s home hub at 6:00 am the following morning,” reads part of the statement.
Yvonne Makolo, RwandAir CEO, said: "The launch of our first-ever flights to Paris is an exciting development in RwandAir’s continuing expansion and a testament to the importance of French-Rwandan relations.
"France is a major market for RwandAir as we connect the continents of Africa and Europe through our home hub in Kigali with this new direct service to Paris, one of the world’s top tourism destinations,” she added.
Makolo further noted that French travellers can look forward to a warm welcome onboard on "our inaugural flight today and for many more years to come as we deepen the ties of friendship and fraternity between France and Rwanda.”
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Customers flying to France from Africa will now be able to reach Paris via Kigali in under eight hours and 30 minutes, giving them more time to explore the city’s incredible atmosphere, amazing culture and iconic sights, RwandAir’s statement reads.
The new three-times-a-week service will also open access for travellers from France directly to the heart of Africa to explore Rwanda’s magnificent scenery and wildlife, including its beautiful national parks and world-famous mountain gorillas.
RwandAir’s Kigali hub also provides quick connections to its extensive network of flights reaching across Africa to countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
The airline is renowned for its excellent on-time performance, customer service and safety. It also has one of the youngest fleets on the African continent with 13 aircraft including three wide-body Airbus A330s.
RwandAir has ambitious plans to double its fleet over the next five years and move to its new home at Bugesera International Airport, which is being built to handle one million passengers and 150 million tonnes of cargo a year during its first phase of operation.