KIGALI SELECTED AS SiAA 2018 VENUE
(Posted 28th November 2016)
The AviAssist Foundation yesterday announced that the 6th Safety in African Aviation (SiAA) conference will be held in Kigali, Rwanda on 19th and 20th of March 2018 and will be hosted by RwandAir. The announcement was made on the final day of SiAA 2016 in Livingstone, Zambia.
‘We are looking forward to bringing SiAA back to Rwanda‘ said Foundation director Tom Kok. ‘Kigali is a remarkable city in an equally remarkable country and it is fitting that Africa’s premier safety event will be hosted by RwandAir, one of Africa’s fastest growing airlines‘ he said.
‘I am delighted and honored that the AviAssist Foundation has chosen Kigali as the venue and RwandAir as the host airline for the 2018 Safety in African Aviation conference‘ RwandAir deputy chief executive officer Jean Paul Nyirubutama said. ‘RwandAir is going through major growth and wants to ensure it stays a safety leader in our industry. Partnering on this event gives us the opportunity not just to continuously invest in our own safety performance but support the region in doing the same. My RwandAir colleagues and I look forward to welcoming the delegates to our home base of Kigali, gateway to Africa‘.
Ms. Hellen Ndichu, the airline’s safety manager, was appointed member of the AviAssist Foundation Board at the 16th of November. SiAA was first held in Rwanda in 2015. The Foundation’s Conference Agenda Development Committee will take an active role in planning and developing SiAA 2018.
RwandAir has been progressively building up a regional Africa network with the aim of establishing its home at Kigali as a hub for the continent. 40% of the airline’s traffic today is composed of transit passengers and their number is rising fast. The airline is soon launching long haul operations with its new A330s into Europe and Asia and supporting the transition of Rwanda into a 21st century economy.
In a related development will RwandAir’s second Airbus, named ‘Umurage‘ be delivered to Kigali on the 30th of November, an A330-300 variant with more seats in Business Class and Economy Class while Premium Economy will have the same number of seats as on the sistership ‘Ubumwe‘.
The AviAssist Foundation is Africa’s only independent, non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring and promoting professionalism in aviation safety. It does so in close coordination with ICAO, industry stakeholders and other safety support providers. Added information can be found via www.aviassist.org
