On 8th September,2015-Rwanda's national carrier RwandAir, and Airbus signed a purchase agreement for the two Airbus aircraft A330-200 and A330-300 being manufactured and expected to be delivered in September and December, 2016
RwandAir becomes the first airline in East Africa to acquire this type of aircraft which have 261 seats and the other 300 seats respectively, and will both come in a triple-class configuration with Rolls Royce Trent 772B engines.

The A330 type of aircraft has an operational reliability of 99.4% and boasts efficiency for all market segments, thus making it a perfect match for RwandAir.
This particular purchase agreement will help RwandAir to expand its flight coverage to both Europe and East Asia by the end of next year, according to Dr Alexis Nzahabwanimana, the State Minister for Transport in the Ministry of Infrastructure.

It will also enable the national carrier to take advantage of cutting travel operating costs. This will enhance the airline’s profitability in the long run,” The Minister in charge of transport added”.
The signed deal reassures the airline’s efforts to contribute to national economic development in line with the Country’s vision. Rwandair CEO, John Mirenge revealed”
“The signed deal is proof of good micro- and micro-economic management and our reliability, passenger comfort, versatility and fuel efficiency, which will enhance our competitiveness in Africa and beyond” He noted.
The acquisition of these two wide-body aircraft will significantly increase RwandAir’s capacity to effectively meet growing demand and provide exceptional service quality for the ever-growing Asia-China and European passenger markets.

Christopher Buckley, the Airbus’s executive vice-president for Africa, Europe and Asia Pacific, said the deal reaffirms the confidence between RwandAir and the manufacturer, which the two can now leverage to grow and thrive in aviation business.

Recently, both RwandAir and the Eastern and Southern Africa Bank (PTA Bank) signed a financial line of credit worth $160m to support the purchase of the two airlines.

The national carrier was early this year recognized as one of the safest airlines by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) after passing the operational safety audit (IOSA).It later became a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), joining a club of 250 member airlines in more than 150 countries. The airline flies to more than 18 destinations, including Nairobi, Entebbe, Mombasa, Bujumbura, Lusaka, Juba, Douala, Dar-es-salaam, Kilimanjaro, Johannesburg, Dubai, Lagos, Libreville and Brazzaville, among others.