Browsing: RwandAir resumes flights

COVID-19 impacted Rwanda’s Economy

A new report has revealed that Rwanda’s tourism revenues from international visitors dropped by an estimated 35 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, with the total of number of visitors dropping by 47.2 percent in 2020.

The report, Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on East African economies by Deloitte indicates that in the months of April and May, Rwanda saw a drop of 100 percent in the number of international tourists following the announcement of the lockdown.

The losses related to Meetings, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism were estimated to be around USD 80m for events that would have been hosted between Mar-2020 and Nov-2020.

The report shows that Rwanda benefitted on a global scale as from the third quarter of 2020 after being included on the European Union’s list of ‘epidemiologically safe’ countries for travel.

“The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) continues to promote tourism in 2021. The board …

RwandAir resumes flights to Africa routes

RwandAir announced that it will resume flights to Africa with flights to Cotonou, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Lusaka, Libreville and Kilimanjaro as it gradually picks pace to shake off the challenges endured during the coronavirus pandemic.

Currently, Dubai is RwandAir’s only destination outside Africa but the airline has plans to resume flights to Tel Aviv, London and Guangzhou.

Kigali International Airport also receives flights departing for Brussels, Johannesburg, Dakar and to Addis Ababa, with connections to the United States via Ethiopian Airlines.

Since rebranding in 2009, the airline has not turned profitable despite consuming over $2 billion in public funds and loans.

Although it has expressed confidence that an increase in economic activity and tourism will spur it to profitability.

As other regional airlines begin to resume flights and many on the same route, RwandAir will have to brace itself for competition

Measures have been put in place for those …