Qatar Airways Continues to Expand in the East African Region

22-March-2012

Qatar Airways, the state's national carrier, is set to begin daily flights to Rwanda Kigali International Airport on March 21, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

The airline had been aggressively expanding its route map, where Kigali is the third destination this year and the latest to the African continent. In February, the airline began its services to both Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Operating via Entebbe, Kigali became Qatar Airways 17th route in Africa, joining its ever-growing global network that currently spans 112 destinations.

Further expansion have been planned across East Africa in 2012 with new services to Mombasa, Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker said, "We are pleased to be reinforcing our presence in Africa with the addition of scheduled flights to Rwanda, allowing us to further expand our business on the African continent."

Rwanda is emerging fast as the growing economic centre, forming strong trade links with Europe and Asia Pacific, thanks largely to its rich mineral resources.

For passengers travelling on Qatar Airways, they will have convenient access from the airline's expansive route network to Rwanda, via the airline's strategically positioned Doha hub.

Key feeder markets include India, Australia, China, the United States and United Kingdom.

Al Baker added that was clearly demand and huge potential to and from Rwanda, one of many underserved markets across Africa.

"As a network global carrier we are able to fulfill the needs of the travelling public from such markets and for those wanting to travel there from destinations we serve around the world."

The exposure of Rwanda to the world through the airline's global network will enable the country to attract more tourists, with several attractions focusing on wildlife and natural scenic beauty.

Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of 106 aircraft to key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.

In 2012, Qatar Airways launched 14 new routes from Doha, namely Baku, Tbilisi, Kigali, Perth, Zagreb, Gassim, Helsinki, Belgrade, Erbil, Baghdad, Yangon, Mombasa, Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro.

BERNAMA