RwandAir to spend US$89m on two new jets

RwandAir, the country’s national carrier, has signed a firm order with Canada-based manufacturer, Bombardier Aerospace, to acquire two CRJ900 NextGen regional jets. RwandAir Chief Executive Officer, John Mirenge, signed for the national carrier while Mike Arcamone, president, signed on behalf of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, according to a statement released Monday. Based on the list price of the CRJ900 NextGen airliner, the firm-order contract is valued at approximately US $89 million. The transaction also includes options for two additional CRJ900 NextGen aircraft, the statement said. The value of the contract would, however, increase to $185 million if RwandaAir sought additional aircrafts.Mirenge said in the statement: “Our two 50-seat CRJ200 aircraft have performed very well for us and have helped grow our business to the point that we require aircraft with more capacity.” “Based on our experience with the CRJ200 aircraft, the dual-class 75-seat CRJ900 NextGen aircraft was the logical upgrade. CRJ900 NextGen aircraft also provide exceptional reliability and have much in common with other CRJ aircraft. These aircrafts will be configured to have 7 business class seats and 68 economy class seats,” Mirenge added. He explained that they chose to procure the CRJ900 NextGen aircraft because of Bombardier’s support towards further development of RwandAir’s technical capacity.RwandAir’s fleet includes two Boeing 737-800NG, two Boeing737-500, and a Dash8-200. The national flag carrier serves most East African Community capitals with daily flights. It also flies to Johannesburg, Brazzaville, Libreville and Dubai.

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RwandAir to spend US$89m on two new jets