• RwandAir restarts direct Mombasa flights after five years
• Service operates four times weekly as part of a wider growth plan
• Kigali strengthens air agreements ahead of Bugesera Airport opening

RwandAir has resumed its direct flights to Mombasa after a five-year halt, reinforcing its plan to strengthen its network in East Africa. The national carrier relaunched the route on December 1 with a ceremony held at Mombasa International Airport, marking a key milestone in its expansion strategy.

The service will now operate four times a week—on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays—in addition to the airline’s Zanzibar connection. This return is part of an ambitious growth plan to expand RwandAir’s fleet to 21 aircraft by 2029, up from about 15 today. The company aims to more than double passenger traffic, rising from just over 1 million travelers in the 2023/24 financial year to 2.1 million by 2028/29.

According to information attributed by local media in August to Chief Commercial Officer Fouad Caunhye, the airline also plans to increase frequencies on several key long-haul routes, including London and Dubai, while studying the resumption of Guangzhou service, one of its strategic Asian routes.

RwandAir is also investing in the development of its Kigali hub, expected to become a major regional transfer platform once the new Bugesera International Airport enters service. The airport is designed to support Rwanda’s broader aviation growth plans.

To support this momentum, Kigali has signed numerous bilateral air service agreements in recent months. In October, Parliament ratified twelve air service accords aimed at strengthening regional and international connectivity. These partnerships involve Eswatini, Guinea, Georgia, Canada, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Oman, Poland, Suriname, France, and Zimbabwe.

Henoc Dossa