Bright Skies in Rwanda; The boom in Rwanda's air industry reflects the country's general economic growth

As Rwanda continues to attract foreign airlines to its landlocked country, previous challenges stemming from its disadvantageous geographical position are gradually disappearing. With more airlines connecting Rwanda to the rest of the globe, the country could see increased exports, especially horticultural commodities such as vegetables, flowers and fruits, which would help the import-dependent country lower its wide trade deficit.

The recently licensed airlines include Air Uganda, KLM Royal Dutch airlines, Turkish Airlines, South African Airways (SAA), as well as Emirates Cargo and Qatar Airways. These airlines compliment Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and Brussels Airlines, which already had licenses.

Some of the airlines such as Air Uganda, KLM and SAA have already opened Kigali route. Since Feb. 2010, Air Uganda has been operating flights between Kampala and Kigali, while KLM launched flights between Kigali and the Dutch capital Amsterdam towards end of the year.

SAA, which had halted flights to Kigali for over five years, resumed the Johannesburg-- Kigali --Bujumbura flights mid January this year. Others, such as Turkish Airlines, which seeks to connect Rwanda to the Turkish capital Istanbul via Kampala, and Qatar airways, which promises to connect Kigali to Qatar's capital Doha via Kampala, are expected to launch a Kigali route in the next few months.

As airlines increase, Kigali has also been seeing a "significant jump" in terms of passengers according to RCAA Director General Dr. Richard Masozera. In an interview late last year Masozera said that passengers using Kigali International Airport (KIA), Rwanda's main international air traffic gateway, increased from 300,000 in 2009 to 330,000 in 2010 and was expected to reach 400,000 in 2011.