… To Connect Flights Into Mumbai, Guangzhou
… Offers Nigerian Passengers Customer Friendly Baggage Allowance
RwandAir said that the implementation of single skies for Africa will deepen the air transport market in the continent.
This is just as the airline disclosed that it plans to connect flight services between Lagos and its hub in Kigali into Far Eastern routes including Mumbai in India and Guangzhou in China.
The Country Manager, RwandAir Ms. Ibiyemi Odusi who said this in Lagos, posited that the removal of all restrictions concerning all agreements among African countries would enable African carriers spread their tentacles to all parts of the continent.
She further posited that if the single airspace policy for Africa is accelerated, the challenge of intra – African connections, which has affected many passengers, would be eliminated, as carriers could easily fly into different countries without any restrictions.
She added that this informed different initiative by players in the sector to promote the single sky policy, which would give opportunity for not very strong African carriers to level up with the stronger carriers from East and Southern Africa.
On plans by the airline to expand flight operations in new routes, the Country Manager, explained that the decision to operate into these routes is to bridge in services by the airlines operating on the route.
She stated that the airline will deploy a bigger aircraft on the route to give passengers value for their money.
She equally disclosed that RwandAir will extend flight services between Kigali and China as well as Mumbai in India, adding that by September the airline will be taking delivery of an Airbus 330, with a flat bed in business class.
According to her, “We are planning to launch two new routes for the Nigerian market, they are Mumbai and Guangzhou in China .We did our marketing research and discovered that Nigeria has a need for more carriers into the Far Eastern routes , and as a a strong player on our current routes , we thought there is a great need to satisfy our passengers.”
She continued, “By September, RwandAir is taking delivery of an Airbus A330, with a flat bed in business class , fee onboard Wifi, mobile network, world -class In-flight entertainment which will serve these new routes . By December, we take delivery of another Airbus to further service the routes to complement our Nigerian routes. As an airline, we feel to need to empathise with our customers by giving them quality aircraft as travel time increases on routes. We are also improving safety with the training of our personnel.”
The Country Manager said that the airline has pursued an ambitious fleet growth programme with eight aircraft in service in the four years of its existence.
She said before the end of the year, the number of aircraft in the airline’s fleet will increase to 10 brand new equipment.
The airline, she said will offer Nigerian passengers, generous baggage allowance on the new routes with a bigger aircraft that would give them enough space for their baggage in addition to offering competitive fares to attract passengers interested in medical tourism in India.
In her words, “There is a huge gap in flight services for Nigerians interested in flying into Mumbia and Guangzhou. The numbers of airlines flying into these routes are not enough. That is why RwandAir is tapping into this opportunity to further add value for our passengers. We are driven by the core values of safety, on time departure and excellent customer services.”
She stated that airline was also planning to expand flight operations into more African destinations such as Khartoum in Sudan, Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire, Cotonou Benin Republic and other African cities.
She also advocated that African countries should pool resources together to build aircraft maintenance facility, which according to her will not only reduce the individual cost of aircraft maintenance but that it will also create a pool of expertise in the continent.