RwandAir: The Plan to Double the Fleet and Make Kigali a Europe-Africa Hub

The fleet

The current fleet includes three Airbus A330s (two A330-200s and one A330-300) for long-haul flights, six Boeing 737-800s plus one 737-800 freighter for medium-haul, and two Bombardier CRJ900ERs and two De Havilland Dash 8-Q400s for the shortest regional routes. During 2025 the airline added two further 737-800s and confirmed the arrival of a new A330-200 by the end of the year, to restore the capacity lost in the preceding months.

Routes and network

The business plan calls for expanding the network from 23 to 29 destinations by 2028-2029, with new links to Mombasa and Zanzibar and more frequencies to London Heathrow and Dubai. The resumption of flights to Guangzhou and Mumbai is also under consideration, along with a possible new connection to Frankfurt, in line with the strategy of positioning Kigali as a natural stopover between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.

History and positioning

Unlike many African flag carriers founded decades ago, RwandAir is a relatively recent project, built around Rwanda's ambition to turn Kigali into a regional hub able to compete with Addis Ababa and Nairobi for transit traffic between Europe and Africa. In 2025 the airline also faced technical problems that temporarily reduced the capacity available, which were resolved by acquiring additional aircraft during the year.

What passengers say

• Most often cited strengths: onboard comfort on the A330s on long-haul routes, and service perceived as more polished than at many comparable African regional carriers.
• Reported limitations: frequencies are still limited on some intercontinental routes, and seat availability is reduced at peak times because of the relatively small fleet.

RwandAir is a good option for anyone who needs to connect East Africa with Europe through a fast-growing hub that is less congested than Addis Ababa or Nairobi, while those looking for the highest possible number of daily frequencies on a specific route should check the schedules carefully, since many intercontinental routes still operate at limited frequency. Given the fleet expansion under way, it is worth checking the aircraft type assigned to your flight when you book, because it may change with the capacity renewal announced for 2025-2026.