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| Qatar Airways cabin crew are pictured with traditional dancers from Rwanda during the recent ITB Berlin travel fair in the German capital where the airline was promoting its new flights to Kigali |
Kigali will be the third destination to be launched by the carrier this year. In February, the airline began services to Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Operating via Entebbe, Kigali will be Qatar Airways’ 17th route in Africa, joining its network that spans 112 destinations.
Further expansion is planned across East Africa this year, with new services to Mombasa in Kenya, as well as Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar al-Baker said: “We are pleased to be reinforcing our presence in Africa with the addition of scheduled flights to Rwanda, allowing us to further expand our business on the African continent.”
Rwanda is fast emerging as a growing economic centre, forming strong trade links with Europe and Asia Pacific, thanks largely to its mineral resources.
Passengers travelling on Qatar Airways will have convenient access to the airline’s expansive route network to Rwanda, via the airline’s strategically positioned Doha hub. Key feeder markets include India, Australia, China, the US and UK.
The Qatar Airways chief added: “There is clearly demand and huge potential to and from Rwanda, one of many under-served markets across Africa.”
Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of 106 aircraft to key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.