NAS PEARL LOUNGE: A glowing lounge inaugurated

NAS PEARL LOUNGE: A glowing lounge inauguratedat the Kigali International Airport By Paul Ntambara August 4 marked another milestone in Rwanda’s aviationindustry. The newly refurbished Pearl lounge was launched by Infrastructure Minister Albert Nsengiyumva. The facelift of the lounge was started in July 2011. This was after National Aviation Services (NAS) a globally leading provider in the ground handling services in developing countries was contracted by the Rwanda Civil Aviation (RCAA) to reconstruct the lounge to meet international standards. The facelift was also in bid to provide top quality service to clients and continue positioning Rwanda as an aviation hub in Africa. The facelift cost RwF150million. NAS is an internationally reputed aviation services provider with headquarters in Kuwait. In May 2010, NAS beat other three internationally acclaimed ground handling service companies to scoop the Emerging Market Airport Award for its exemplary ground handling services. It is one of the fastest ground handling airline services in the world. NAS is AIATA safety Audit Ground Operations (ISAGO) certified. NAS Pearl Lounge The lounge is spacious with a capacity of 54 seats. It provides around the clock (24/7) lounge services for business passengers, first class passengers, different card holders and walk-in pasengers for a fee of USD 25 or Rwf 15,000. It is installed with high speed Wi-Fi internet, over 100 electrical sockets with 110 and 230 volts to meet the needs of a modern traveller. A variety of snacks and refreshments are available and served to the customer’s requirement. What they said at the launch Albert Nsengiyumva,Minister of Infrastructure “Opening of the lounge is in line with government’s vision of a service oriented economy. This new facelift will boost customer confidence in the aviation industry and consequently lead to increased return. This lounge is compatible to the country’s determination tohave world class service and I believe that it will be a driving force in ensuring that quality service is provided to clients. We also expect NAS operations to provide something new in terms of service provision and challenge other companies to be more creative and innovative.” Dr Richard Masozera,Director General Civil Aviation Authority “A standard has been established at the Airport. We believe that NAS is the right partner to begin to set a certain reliable service which we have all been waiting for. We look forward to even doing more, at some point we think we shall extend this.Ground handling service is not just a lounge.” Chantal Rugamba,MD Songa Africa “Songa Africa specialises in tourism consultancies and facilitates investors in the tourism industry. It also does luxury tours in Rwanda and the rest of East Africa. The launch of NAS Pearl lounge complements government’s strategy. Rwanda is a high end destination, what we see in the lounge is a luxury product.” As a company that receives high profile clients, we realised that we were not giving complete service in that when they got to the airport there wasn’t a kind of lounge to meet their expectations like they would find in other international airports. NAS Pearl lounge will fill this void. When our clients are on their out of the country, they will be able to relax here and have a last good impression of Rwanda. As Songa Africa, this has been a long awaited complement to what we offer. We have signed for our clients to go through NAS Pearl lounge. Hassan El-Houry, CEONational Aviation Services “Rwanda is a very important cornerstone for NAS’s expansion in Africa. NAS is an Aviation Services provider that is present in 20 Airports across India, the Middle East and Africa. Rwanda has a forward thinking government, educated workforce and is endowed with one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. That is why we are committed to establishing our head office for Africa here in Rwanda. We promise to establish a training centre so that Rwanda can benefit from a trained workforce in aviation and start to export some of that expertise around Africa. Some of Africa’s students in aviation can come here and learn. Pearl Lounge is a first step, there is a whole spectrum of services that we would like to offer which will make passenger experience hustle free and more enjoyable. Ends

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NAS PEARL LOUNGE: A glowing lounge inaugurated