Summary
- RwandAir receives its seventh Boeing 737 aircraft, boosting its fleet and allowing for further expansion of regional operations.
- The new 737 will serve the carrier's traffic to and from Kigali, as regional routes have proven to be the most profitable.
- RwandAir aims to make Kigali a primary regional hub, leveraging its geographical location in the heart of Africa to connect underserved markets.
One of East Africa's leading carriers, RwandAir, received another Boeing 737 aircraft on Wednesday, October 25, to boost its narrowbody fleet in line with its regional development plans. The aircraft, registration 9xr-wy, is the company's seventh 737 and the second aircraft to join its fleet this year.
A traditional welcome to "The land of a thousand hills"
9XR-WY is a 14-year-old B737-800 with two CFM56 engines. It was built in September 2009 and first delivered to Oman Air (reg A4O-BG), which operated it until March 2020. In December 2020, it was transferred to BBAM Aircraft Leasing and Management, who operated it as 2-AOBG until it was placed with RwandAir.
The aircraft began its journey to "The land of a thousand hills" in Hungary on October 24. It flew from Budapest (BUD) to Kigali (KGL) via Cairo (CAI) as flight WB801. It departed BUD at 15:33 and arrived at CAI at 20:11 local time, where it remained for over 12 hours. On October 25, 9XR-WY departed CAI at 10:44 and made the five-hour journey to KGL, landing at about 14:56 local time. It was welcomed with the traditional water cannon salute, highlighting another significant milestone for the Rwandan flag carrier. RwandAir CEO Yvonne Makolo said,
"The introduction of our seventh Boeing aircraft is another major milestone for us, and I would like to thank everyone who has helped make this possible. We have been expanding our fleet over the past year and look forward to accelerating this growth to offer customers even better service and connectivity across Africa and beyond."
The carrier's fleet of seven 737s comprises five 737-800s, one 737-800SF, and one 737-700. The cargo version was delivered in November 2022, while the other narrowbodies were delivered between 2011 and 2023. The rest of the fleet comprises two Airbus A330-200s, one A330-300, two CRJ900ERs, and two DHC-8-Q400s.
The other aircraft received this year is one of the A330-200s (reg 9XR-WX), which was delivered in March. It operates long-haul flights to Paris, Dubai, and Brussels and some intra-Africa flights to Lagos, Entebbe, and Accra, among other destinations. Additionally, RwandAir is considering phasing out its regional jets in favor of larger aircraft.
Expanding regional routes
The new 737 has a total capacity of 156 seats, with 144 in economy and 12 in business. It will be deployed on the carrier's regional routes, serving its traffic to and from Kigali. In an interview with AviADev earlier this year, RwandAir CEO Yvonne Makolo revealed the company's plans to make Kigali a primary regional hub, given its geographical location right at the heart of Africa.
Photo: Thiago B Trevisan | Shutterstock
Despite its growing international network, regional routes have proved to be the most profitable. The company will leverage its fifth freedom rights to connect various African cities and reach some of the continent's underserved markets. Hence, the popular Boeing narrowbody is the most prolific type in its fleet.
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As of October 2023, RwandAir's network covers two domestic and 24 international destinations in 21 countries. Eighteen of its destinations are within Africa, connecting Kigali to the Western, Central, Southern, and other Eastern parts of the continent. RwandAir's 737s serve Johannesburg most frequently, with 149 one-way flights in Q42023, followed by Douala (DLA) with 81. Other destinations served by the narrowbodies include Brazzaville (BZV), Bangui (BGF), Lagos (LOS), Abuja (ABV), Libreville (LBV), and Cotonou (COO).
What are your thoughts on RwandAir receiving another Boeing 737? Have you ever flown on the East African carrier? Please share your experiences in the comments!
