Rwanda Development Board has opened borders for commercial flights from August 1, and Rwanda Air, the national carrier, will resume passenger services between Kigali International Airport and Dubai three times a week
Additionally, routes between Kigali and other African airports, such as Kilimajaro, Dar es Salaam, Cotonou, Nairobi, Lusaka, Libreville and Douala will restart in the first week of August.
Yvonne Manzi Makolo, RwandAir CEO, said: “Now travel bans and restrictions are being relaxed, so we can once again resume flying and look forward to welcoming our highly-valued customers back to RwandAir. We want to ensure our return to flying matches consumer demands, as the world adapts to new ways of travel, where the health, safety and security will be of paramount importance.
As well as this revived aviation activity, Kigali Bugesera International Airport, which has been under construction since 2017, is scheduled to be completed this year in December. Located 25km east of Kigali, and having a 42Km runway, the total cost of construction of the airport comes to US$18 million, and the total capacity of its runway, cargo terminal and passenger terminal comes up to 4.5 million passengers per year. Mota Engil Engenharia e Construcao Africa SA replaced China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) as the main contractor for the project.
All passengers arriving in Kigali, including those in transit, will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test from a certified laboratory, taken within 72 hours of arriving in Rwanda. For passengers who seek to enter the south-east African country, a second test will be conducted upon arrival, with results delivered within 24 hours, during which travellers will be required to self-quarantine in designated accommodation.
