'Rwandair Express' is an
airline based in
Kigali,
Rwanda. It is the national carrier operating services to southern and East Africa. Its main base is
Kigali International Airport.
[1]
History
Rwandair Express was established in 2003 as a joint venture between the Rwandan Government (77%) and Silverback Cargo Freighters (23%). It started operations on
27 April 2003.
It initially leased a
Boeing 737-500 from the Danish airline
Maersk Air. The
Boeing 737 was returned to
Maersk Air in May 2004. This was replaced by a leased
McDonnell Douglas MD-82 (3D-MDJ) from JetAfrica in June, 2004. However, while on a service to the
Netherlands for
Acvila Air (Romania), the aircraft was grounded. The grounding was due to old navigation maps and multiple technical proplems resulting in
Acvila Air and
JetAfrica being banned from Dutch airspace. Rwandair Express has replaced the aircraft with MD-82 (YR-MDL) leased from
Acvila Air. In 2006, Rwandair leased
Bombardier Dash 8-200Q from the Ethiopian Airline
Trans Nation Airways (TNA).
As of April 2007 Rwandair Express now operates a Boeing 737-500. This aircraft operates between Kigali and Nairobi and Kigali Johannesburg.
Rwandair is compliant with international regulations unlike many African airlines. It is a registered IATA member, and has passed the IATA Operational Quality Standards (OQS) audit. It has interline agreements with various international carriers, who can issue Rwandair Express flights on their tickets.
Rwandair Express is in a code share agreement with Kenya Airways on the Nairobi route and South African Airways on the Johannesburg route.
Destinations

A
Boeing 737-500 operated by Rwandair Express in Kigali International Airport.
(As of
28 June 2006). The MD-82 flies to
Nairobi daily,
Johannesburg via
Bujumbura twice a week, with a third frequency in the planning. The Dash 8 flies to
Entebbe daily, Bujumbura and
Kamembe/
Cyangugu several times a week and has now resumed flights to
Kilimanjaro twice weekly. Flights to
Gisenyi are due to begin soon.
(As of 01 June 2007). The B737-500 flies to Nairobi daily, Johannesburg via Bujumbura three times a week. The Dash 8-200Q flies to Entebbe daily, Bujumbura Daily except Mondays, Kilimanjaro three times weekly and Kamembe/Cyangugu on the border with the DRC three times a week. Flights to Gisenyi are due to begin soon.
External links
★
Rwandair Express
★
Rwandair Express Fleet
References
1. Flight International 12-18 April 2005