RwandAir
| RwandAir | |
|---|---|
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| IATA code : | WB |
| ICAO code : | RWD |
| Call sign : | RWANDAIR |
| Founding: | 2002 |
| Seat: |
Kigali , Rwanda
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| Turnstile : | |
| Home airport : | Kigali airport |
| IATA prefix code : | 459 |
| Management: | John Mirenge ( CEO ) |
| Number of employees: | 400 |
| Passenger volume: | 740,000 (2017) |
| Frequent Flyer Program : | Dream Miles |
| Fleet size: | 12 (+ 4 orders) |
| Aims: | national and continental |
| Website: | www.rwandair.com |
RwandAir (previously RwandAir Express ) is Rwanda's national airline based in Kigali and based at Kigali Airport .
history
The airline was founded in December 2002 as a joint venture between the government of Rwanda (77%) and Silverback Cargo Freighters (23%) under the name RwandAir Express . On April 23, 2003, flight operations began with a Boeing 737-500 that was leased from Maersk Air from Denmark. Later two McDonnell Douglas MD-82s , a De Havilland DHC-8-200 and a Boeing 737-500 each from Air Malawi and Air Namibia were added. The planes mainly headed for destinations in neighboring countries.
In June 2009, the airline dropped its nickname Express in order not to give the appearance of a regional airline. In autumn 2009 Lufthansa Regional acquired two Bombardier CRJ200LRs .
The airline is characterized by political influence, which resulted in four different CEOs between 2007 and 2010. Since Silverback Cargo is now 100% state-owned again, RwandAir is now a purely state-owned airline. Unlike many other African airlines, Rwandair is a registered member of IATA .
In August 2013, Rwandair retired its last two Boeing 737-500s .
On September 9, 2015, RwandAir confirmed the order for an Airbus A330-200 and an A330-300 , which were delivered in 2016. The aircraft are each powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 772B engines.
The chairman of the board of RwandAir was taken over by Yvonne Makolo in April 2018, which she still holds today. The expansion of the fleet by two Boeing 737 MAX 8s and two Airbus A330neo aircraft is expected in 2019, which will include a total of 16 aircraft.
At the beginning of February 2020, Qatar Airways announced the takeover of 49 percent of the shares in RwandAir.
Destinations
In addition to national destinations, RwandAir flies from Kigali airport to other destinations in Africa . Outside Africa, London Gatwick Airport and Brussels are served , among others . In January 2019 it was announced that it would start five weekly flights to Addis Ababa , which will be operated with CRJ-900. Other international destinations are Abuja (4 flights a week) and Cape Town (5 flights a week), the latter connection being carried out with a stopover in Harare . With this flight connection, Rwandair enjoys the 5th freedom (air traffic law) for the Harare - Cape Town section and is also allowed to carry passengers on the section that does not touch Rwanda.
fleet
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As of March 2020, the RwandAir fleet consists of twelve aircraft with an average age of 6.8 years:
| Aircraft type | number | ordered | Remarks | Seats ( Business / Eco + / Eco ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A330-200 | 1 | 1 | 244 (20/21/203) | |
| Airbus A330-300 | 1 | 1 | 274 (30/21/223) | |
| Boeing 737-700 | 2 | with winglets fitted | 120 (12 / - / 108) | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 4th | 2 | 154 (16 / - / 138) | |
| Bombardier CRJ900 | 2 | 75 (6 / - / 69) | ||
| De Havilland DHC-8 DHC-8-400 | 2 | 67 (7 / - / 60) | ||
| total | 12 | 4th |
Incidents
RwandAir recorded an accident with fatalities in its history:
- On November 12, 2009, the crew of a Bombardier CRJ100 reported technical problems after taking off from Kigali Airport in the direction of Entebbe and asked to return to the airport. The aircraft landed safely and reached its assigned parking position. The master reported that the power of the engines could not be throttled and that they continued to run at full power, whereupon the engine started moving again, accelerated, broke through some fences and a little later collided with a building. Of the ten passengers and three crew members, one passenger did not survive the accident. There was severe structural damage to the aircraft; it had to be written off (see also RwandAir flight 205 ) .
See also
Web links
- RwandAir website (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ FlugRevue July 2011, pp. 30–32, Airline from Runda
- ↑ a b Airbus.com - RwandAir firms-up order for two Airbus A330 Family aircraft, September 9, 2015 (English) accessed on September 13, 2015
- ↑ a b Africa's little high- flyer: RwandAir interview with Yvonne Makolo on Aero.de, accessed February 17, 2019
- ↑ Qatar Airways to buy Rwandair stake to gain African foothold. Fin24, February 5, 2020.
- ^ RwandAir Fleet Details and History. In: planespotters.net. Retrieved March 10, 2020 .
- ↑ http://www.airfleets.fr/flottecie/Rwandair.htm (English), accessed on February 17, 2019
- ↑ rwandair.com - Our Fleet (English) accessed on February 17, 2019
- ^ Accident report CRJ 100 5Y-JLD , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 7, 2019.