RWANDAIR AND SOUTH AFRICAN SIGN DEAL FOR JOHANNESBURG – KIGALI ROUTE
(Posted 06th November 2013)
The national airlines of Rwanda and South Africa yesterday signed an extensive bilateral code share arrangement which will come into effect on the 07th of December.
RwandAir will be operating 7 flights a week between Kigali and Johannesburg and back, which South African will put their codeshare flight number on it. SAA will no longer operate flights on the route themselves. South African Airways Acting General Manager Commercial Manoj Papa, who signed on behalf of his airline, was quoted to have said upon putting pen to paper: ‘RwandAir’s professionalism and strong adherence to safety and security standards makes it an great partner in the region’s booming aviation industry’.
In his reply did RwandAir’s Chief Executive Officer John Mirenge say: ‘O.R. Tambo International Airport is a well known hub for most African world travellers. But todate we do not have many optimal hubs within the region that support the network of multiple airlines. This codeshare agreement helps us develop Kigali into a new hub, furthermore connecting it with other existing hubs like ORTIA and allowing the two airlines to join their respective networks’.
Only last week did RwandAir bring home the honour of being named as Africa’s leading short haul airline at Nigeria’s main tourism fair AKWAABA.
South African Airways, a member of global industry leader Star Alliance, operates a fleet of 49 passenger aircraft, mostly of the Airbus A319/320 family (15) as well as the long haul Airbus A330 (6) and A340 (17) and 11 B737-800’s while RwandAir operates a fleet of 2 each B737-700 and B737-800, two CRJ900NG and one Bombardier Dash 8-200 which in March next year will be replaced with a brand new, two class Bombardier Q400.
