RWANDAIR ADDS MWANZA TO ROUTES

EXPANSION: Not long ago, RwandAir received their first Bombardier CRJ900 NextGen regional jet to underline the airline’s expansion at an event graced by Edda Mukabagwiza, Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Canada; Mirenge and Mike Arcamone, the Bombardier President.

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania - Travel will be easier between Kigali and Mwanza following the launch of the direct flights between the two cities by RwandAir writes LEONARD MAGOMBA.

Mwanza, the second largest city in Tanzania after Dar-es Salaam, is a major transit centre of goods destined for neighbouring countries such as Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“With our new operations to Mwanza, we are delighted to further strengthen our regional co-operation with Tanzania and hope to serve its esteemed customers in this underserved market,” the RwandAir Chief Executive Officer, John Mirenge said last week. 

RwandAir will be flying three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 

Industrial and agricultural activities dominate the Mwanza economy. It has more than 100 small to large-scale manufacturing and processing industries. The largest group is food and beverages including fish processing, breweries, soft drink factories, bakeries and cottonseed oil industries. 

Others are timber, garage, fabricating workshops, ginneries, foam and plastics factories, tanneries, soap -making, quarry sites and animal feed production. Livestock rising is also a major activity, particularly dairy cattle production.

An expert in the airline industry said that the launch of the flight services will help to boost trade and tourism among the two cities.

Rwanda’s national carrier, RwandAir insisted in a statement that will resume flights to Mwanza on November this year.

This will be RwandAir’s third destination in Tanzania apart from Dar-es-salaam and Kilimanjaro, the country’s main tourist circuit in the northern part of country.

The launch would make RwandAir the first airline linking Mwanza with Kigali and will further help residents of the city on the shores of Lake Victoria to make international connections. 

RwandAir flies to 15 other destinations all over Africa was recently recognised as the best short haul carrier in Africa.

East African Business Week