RwandAir
RwandAir at a glance
RwandAir is the flag carrier of Rwanda and the aviation arm of one of Africa's most deliberate national development strategies: a small, young airline, founded in 2002 with a fleet of around 14 aircraft, positioned as the connecting carrier for a country that wants to be Africa's Singapore. From Kigali it reaches across East, West and Southern Africa with extensions to Europe, the Gulf and Asia.
The transformative bet is Qatari: Qatar Airways has agreed to take a 49% stake in the airline and holds 60% of the new Bugesera International Airport under construction outside Kigali, a paired investment designed to turn Rwanda into a Gulf-style hub for the continent. Under CEO Yvonne Manzi Makolo, who also chaired IATA's board of governors as its first African woman, RwandAir is the rare African carrier whose story is about planned scale rather than survival.
Fleet
RwandAir runs a compact mixed fleet matched to its network tiers: 737s on African trunk routes, Airbus A330s on long-haul to Europe and Asia, and CRJ900 regional jets on thinner East African sectors, with fleet growth tied to the Qatar partnership and the new Bugesera hub.
| Aircraft | Role | Fleet Size |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-800 | African network workhorse | 4 |
| Boeing 737-700 | Regional trunk routes | 2 |
Hub & route network
Kigali is the hub for a network deliberately wider than Rwanda's own market: RwandAir connects African capitals over Kigali, East to West and North to South, with long-haul spokes to London, Paris, Doha, Dubai and Guangzhou, selling the continent one-stop connectivity the way Gulf carriers sell the world.Alliance & partnerships
RwandAir belongs to no alliance; its defining relationship is with Qatar Airways, spanning the pending 49% equity stake, codesharing over Doha and the joint Bugesera airport project.Group structure
RwandAir is owned by the Government of Rwanda, with Qatar Airways' agreed 49% acquisition set to make it the first major African carrier anchored by Gulf capital, paired with Qatar's 60% holding in the Bugesera airport company.Full specifications
Latest RwandAir coverage from AeroTime
Frequently asked questions
The Government of Rwanda, with Qatar Airways having agreed to acquire a 49% stake, part of a wider Qatari investment that includes 60% of the new Bugesera International Airport.
More than 35 destinations, most of them African capitals connected over Kigali, plus long-haul routes to London, Paris, Doha, Dubai and Guangzhou.
A new hub airport under construction outside Kigali, majority-funded by Qatar Airways, designed to give Rwanda the capacity to become a continental connecting hub.