Find cheap RwandAir flights

Keep your eyes on Rwandair as this airline is growing significantly and building a small hub in central Africa. Following a major investment by Qatar Airways, the airline has its sights set on becoming a larger carrier for Africa. The carrier is under the helm of CEO Yvonne Manzi Makolo, who has been responsible for the airline’s rise.

Most of the carrier’s business consists of carrying travellers between various points around Africa, but it has strong growth plans. When the airline’s new hub airport opens in 2027, it will add more planes, destinations and amenities. For now, here is what to expect when flying Rwandair.

Airport constraints

While the airline has undergone a growth spurt, part of it has been hindered by its existing airport in the Rwandan capital of Kigali. The small facility has limited space and only a few shops and eateries. Its single runway and lack of jet bridges are also hurdles for the airline’s ambitions.

The runway is located on a small hill, which constrains the ability to extend or upgrade it. This is one of the highest airports in the world, which limits the capability of flight operations.

By 2027, a new international airport, also funded by Qatar, will replace this facility and feature a longer runway and modern terminal capable of handling more passengers. This will be the catalyst for the airline’s further growth.

When the new facility opens, Rwandair plans to add more flight connection options to make it easier to fly around the continent. At present, many travellers have to take out-of-the-way itineraries to reach nearby African destinations, often via the Middle East or even Europe, because there is not enough capacity to handle the demand.

Once I flew from Bamako, Mali to Antananarivo, Madagascar via Paris because there were no easier routes to get me there in a short period. This type of diversion is something that Rwandair hopes to improve as it grows.

A modern fleet

With just over a dozen planes, Rwandair cannot grow as quickly as it would like. And it only has three widebody Airbus A330s further slowing its long-haul growth. The airline uses its Boeing 737s to fly longer sectors of as many as six hours, which is not very comfortable.

Regional aircraft handle domestic flights and those to surrounding destinations. The A330s have lie-flat seats in business class in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration. This means that if you are sitting in a window seat, I recommend choosing an even-numbered row as the seats are farther from the aisle than odd-numbered rows giving more privacy. Also, I find that row one has more space in the footwell.

I love the large entertainment screens in all cabins. The A330 planes used to have premium economy class, but the sale of this product has been phased out although the seats remain on the plane. I recommend asking at check-in if you can move to one of those seats (although they may charge a fee). These seats are in a 2-3-2 layout with more recline and leg room.

Economy class is in a more dense 2-4-2 configuration. It may seem counter-intuitive, but I recommend selecting one of the last rows because the plane narrows a bit towards the back. This means the seats go to a 2-3-2 layout, and they tend to have a bit more space.

Boeing 737s have a 2-2 layout in business class, and while that is fine on short trips, it can feel cramped on longer journeys. Economy is in a 3-3 setup. Also, these planes do not have entertainment systems in economy so go old school and bring your own. I like the CRJ-900s, which have a 1-2 layout in business class (with just six seats in total) and 2-2 layout in economy class (no middle seats).

There are seatback screens in business class on the B737-800s, but not on the B737-700s. Like the A330s, the 737-800s also have paid Wi-Fi available. Plans are in place to eventually double the size of the airline’s fleet.

Business class

Speaking of business class, the airline staff is proud of how far the carrier has come, and this is notable in their friendly service. But, the airport’s small size means that the airline’s new Dream Lounge can get packed quickly when multiple flights depart at once. If you have a Priority Pass, the Pearl Lounge is a great alternative next door.

Both lounges offer a hot and cold buffet, an open bar and free Wi-FI. Unfortunately, it is before security, which means travellers have to leave earlier than planned to complete airport formalities and pass through security before boarding the plane. The amenities on the airside of the terminal are limited.

Passengers either walk or take a bus to the aircraft, and business class passengers are usually transferred using a private bus. The meals on Rwandair are not extravagant, but certainly plentiful and tasty. Like the lounge, an open bar is available on all international flights.

I also find the timing of meal service on the airline’s longer flights to be strange. Instead of offering meals at the beginning and end of the flight, the carrier usually offers them at the beginning and middle of the flight.

This is common with several African airlines that try to time meals to the destination’s clock, but it disrupts the chance to get significant rest. I suggest asking the crew when meals will be served in advance so you can plan rest accordingly.

Economy class

All international flights offer a meal in economy: hot meals on longer sectors and cold snacks on shorter ones. But, only non-alcoholic drinks are on offer. The seats have tight legroom, but come with a pillow and blanket.

Route network

Rwandair only has a few long-haul routes: like Brussels, Doha, Dubai, London and Paris. The rest of its route map centres around sub-Saharan Africa serving cities like Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Douala, Johannesburg, Lagos and Nairobi among others.

While this seems extensive, especially to connect between cities in Africa, the problem for Rwandair is that its frequencies from Kigali to each of these cities is limited. This means that connections between cities may take several days, which means it is easier to fly through the Middle East or Europe.

The airline says its priority is to add more daily frequencies to its various African destinations so that it can carry more connecting passengers, but this goal is limited by its small fleet and compact airport (two problems that it hopes to rectify soon).

With road and rail links in Africa not being the best, airlines are a crucial part of connectivity when getting around the continent. The airline’s CEO says she is working to add more African destinations. She points out that the airline’s growth would also fuel more tourism for Rwanda.

The airline already operates as a key hub in the region with 50% of its passengers connecting between flights. The plan is to grow that number when the new airport opens. With Kigali’s central position in Africa, becoming a hub for the continent makes a lot of sense.

Seat assignments

Like other airlines, Rwandair has caught the addiction of charging for various services. This includes paying to assign seats in advance for economy class on most fares.

There are separate fees for extra legroom, exit row and preferred seats. One thing that may catch you by surprise though is that the fee for the seat is by flight, not for the entire itinerary.

Loyalty program

DreamMiles is the airline’s frequent flyer program that awards miles based on the cost of your ticket. You can then redeem those miles for free travel or upgrades. I like the fact that families can pool their miles together to reach an award redemption faster.

The more flights you take, the higher your elite status in the program. Diamond is the top tier and comes with benefits like bonus miles, lounge access, more luggage allowance and free seat assignments.

Because of the partnership with Qatar Airways, members can earn and redeem miles on either carrier. I choose to earn miles with Qatar Airways when flying Rwandair because its program offers more value and redemption opportunities.

Stopover program

For passengers that have a long or overnight connection, the airline has a dedicated stopover program to make the transit more comfortable. It includes hotel accommodation and airport transfers.

To be eligible, the ticket must be issued by Rwandair, and the stopover must be between 8 and 24 hours. Economy class passengers receive one hotel night while business class passengers receive a second complimentary night (necessary for flights that arrive in the middle of the night, for example).

It is important to apply for this at least 48 hours before departure. Another key rule is that you must be travelling between two international destinations via Kigali in both directions of your trip to be eligible. If you require a visa to enter Rwanda, you would have to sort that out, too.