KIGALI, (The Southern African Times) – Rwanda’s national flag carrier airline RwandAir has announced in a statement that it will launch new non-stop direct flights in December to Doha, the capital city of Qatar.
The planned launch of the new non-stop flights between Rwandan capital city Kigali and Doha is part of a comprehensive codeshare agreement that has been signed between RwandAir and Qatar Airways, according to the statement issued on Tuesday.
“This is a major milestone for RwandAir and marks the beginning of an exciting new journey with Qatar Airways. We are also immensely proud to welcome Doha to our route network, connecting customers with Qatar’s hub and further expanding their flight map,” said Yvonne Makolo, Chief Executive Officer of the RwandAir.
“This codeshare agreement will give our customers significantly more choice and flexibility, allowing RwandAir to strengthen its global presence and build on its strong and loyal African customer base,” she said. RwandAir and Qatar Airways recently announced a loyalty partnership, giving RwandAir Dream Miles and Qatar Airways Privilege Club loyalty members access to each other’s destinations.
The loyalty partnership gives customers the opportunity to accrue and redeem miles across their reciprocal route networks and access the airlines’ airport lounges at both airline’s hub homes in Doha and Kigali.
The new codeshare will enable RwandAir customers to book attractive offers to popular destinations in the United States, such as New York, Washington D.C., Dallas and Los Angeles, according to the statement.
The RwandAir and Qatar Airways partnership will also see the offers extend to key European cities, such as London, Zurich and Madrid, and points across Asia, such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, it added.
“We share a very close and collaborative bond with Rwanda and welcome RwandAir’s new non-stop service between Kigali and our home in Doha,” said Akbar Al-Baker, Group Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Airways.
“With this comprehensive codeshare agreement, we are committed to deliver greater choice and connectivity to our customers in Africa and around the world,” he added.
The agreement will also increase Qatar Airways’ footprint in Africa, with access to destinations such as Bujumbura, Kinshasa and Lubumbashi, according to the statement.
Earlier this year, RwandAir became the first African airline to achieve Diamond status in the APEX Health Safety audit powered by SimpliFlying, the important global recognition for airlines in health and hygiene matters.
RwandAir operates 12 airplanes with an average age of under six years.
The airline currently offers services to 25 destinations across 21 countries throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
