RwandAir privatisation still on

Privatisation of state-owned airline, RwandAir that is currently undergoing major reforms is still on, the airline’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gerald Zirimwabagabo has said. The national carrier has seen major changes in the recent past including the acquisition of its first own aircrafts as well as staff recruitments. “I feel I should not talk about the details right now since we are still negotiating. But I can tell you that the process is on and in the next months and years we will see a very strong airline,” Zirimwabagabo told Business Times in an exclusive interview. Zirimwabagabo also revealed that the ongoing efforts to improve the operations and services of the airline are part of the preparations to privatise it. “That is something we want like yesterday. If we can find a private investor that wants to buy shares in RwandAir, they are welcome! Particularly those that have strong experience in the aviation industry,” he said. Without divulging further details, the CEO mentioned that the airline has already received some parties that have expressed interest in equity acquisition. “The first thing we are trying to do is to bring RwandAir to a stage where it will be attractive to buy shares in it. And I think we are doing very well there,” he said. The national carrier purchased two new aircrafts from Deutsche Lufthansa after it received a $40 million loan from the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (PTA). With the acquisition of new aircrafts, RwandAir says it will increase the number of destinations to include Tanzania, where it will be flying to Dar el Salam and Arusha, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where it will begin with flights to Goma and later Lubumbashi and eventually Kinshasa. It also targets flying to Dubai in the Middle East. Ends

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RwandAir privatisation still on