RwandAir opens sales office in Nairobi

Rwanda’s national carrier, RwandAir, has asked governments in the region to lower and match their aviation taxes to encourage air travel.

Mr Gerald Zirimwabagabo the company’s chief executive, said successful airline operations cannot exist without the active and deliberate involvement of governments.

“These authorities need to lower and harmonise various taxes levied on air travel,” he said. “I am convinced this will stimulate the much needed air travel for our people.”

Opening

Mr Zirimwabagabo was speaking in Nairobi last Thursday, during the opening of the airline’s Nairobi sales office. Before opening the sales office, the airline, which operates two daily flights between Nairobi and Kigali, depended on general sales agent agreements it had signed with local travel agents.

Transport minister, Chirau Mwakwere, said the Nairobi sales office will give travellers faster connection. He added that Kenya and Rwanda had signed a bilateral air service agreement in 1978, allowing national carriers to fly into each other’s airspace and in 2008, the agreement was enhanced to more frequencies for both national carriers, he said.

Mr Zirimwabagabo said Nairobi remains a key transit point into and out of the Great Lakes region and as such, air transport operators within the East African Community must find ways of enhancing both passenger and cargo air transport.

Initiatives

“Initiatives such as this we have taken will not only increase the bilateral flow of traffic between our countries but also cement further the long standing relations we have enjoyed,” he said.

Currently, the airline operates three leased aircraft. Mr Zirimwabagabo said the company had made progress in fleet management and will move from lease arrangements to own a fleet by the end of the year.