Kigali, 18 April 2019- Rwanda's national carrier RwandAir yesterday launched direct flights to Kinshasa, the Capital City of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The Boeing 737-800NG departed Kigali International Airport for N’Djili, the largest of the four International Airports in DRC with 119 passengers on board and was welcomed by a traditional water salute upon arrival.

"We are proud and excited to add Kinshasa to our network and to offer both passengers and cargo services. This new route will support our growth and increase our footprint in Africa" said Yvonne Makolo, the Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir adding that the flight will play a vital role in the expansion of trade, tourism and investment between Rwanda and DRC”.

At the same event, Hon. Eng. Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye, Rwandan Minister of State in charge of Transport reaffirmed Rwanda`s commitment to support RwandAir. "We are excited to witnessing new successes at RwandAir. The Government of Rwanda will continue to support the growth of the airline", he said.

This new route will be operated on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays by a Boeing 737-800NG offering 15 seats in business class and 136 seats in economy class.

In May 2019, RwandAir plans to operate three additional night flights a week to Kinshasa with a CRJ-900NextGen offering 7 seats in business and 68 in economy class to serve passengers connecting to the rest of the Africa and Europe.

Kinshasa is the third-largest urban area in Africa after Lagos and Cairo, it hosts the country’s major industrial and commercial companies. Top tourist attractions include Lola ya Bonobo, the world’s only sanctuary for orphaned bonobos, the National Museum of Kinshasa, Académie des Beaux-Arts and many more. The country is also known for its rich music history and the Congolese Rumba is one of the most popular music genre.

Kinshasa is the 23rd RwandAir destination in Africa extending RwandAir’s network across the globe to 27 destinations.

About RwandAir

From its hub at the heart of Africa at Kigali International Airport, RwandAir is reputed for its excellent on-time performance, customer service and safety, and has one of the youngest fleet on the African continent. RwandAir is an International Air Transport Association (IATA) Member airline and has been IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), IATA's Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified.

With a fleet of twelve aircraft including two wide-body Airbus A330, the airline currently reaches out to twenty-six (26) destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

Previously, RwandAir started flights from Kigali to Mumbai, Harare, London (Gatwick) and Brussels as well as Dakar from its second hub in Cotonou. RwandAir also introduced flights to Abidjan, Libreville and Brazzaville from its Cotonou hub. In April, 2018 RwandAir started flights to Abuja in Nigeria and Cape Town joined its network effective 16th May, 2018.

Luanda, Tel Aviv, Addis Ababa and Guangzhou will be added to our expanding network this year. RwandAir also plans to enter the American market with flights to New York.