A state-of-the-art antenna on Mount Karisimbi will improve air traffic management.

With no direct maritime access, Rwanda’s most important international gateway is Kigali International Airport (KIA), which in recent years has been comprehensively upgraded.

KIA is one of 17 airports identified by the United Nations’ Economic Commission For Africa (ECA) as a future transit hub, and is the main entrance for tourists and business travelers coming into the country. Improvements made at the airport include a complete resurfacing of the runway and new navigation and landing systems.

Rwanda has several other regional airports which mainly serve passenger traffic. Studies are underway for the construction of a large international airport in Bugesera in southeast Rwanda.

Overseeing all aspects of air operations is Rwanda’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which was established three years ago to replace the Rwanda Airports Authority.

Infrastructure Minister Evariste Bizimana explains the need for the new authority in the broader context: ongoing reforms, good governance and globalization.

“We want to work in an efficient and precise manner with the whole world and with organizations such as the International Air Transport Association and the International Civil Aviation Organization,” he says. “We are adapting our policies towards their guidelines.”

JOSHUA MBARAGA Managing Director of the Civil Aviation Authority

Joshua Mbaraga, the CAA’s Managing Director, says a properly developed civil aviation infrastructure “will play a very big role in the nation’s development, especially in trade and tourism.”

Mr. Mbaraga believes Rwanda has a great deal of potential for business investment. “This is especially true of aircraft operations, and this is an area with a great deal of potential that has yet to be exploited.”

The CAA’s goal, he says, is to ensure provision of a safe, secure, user-friendly environment, both for travelers and operators. “There have been tremendous improvements in the airport, and we believe that we will be able to encourage more air operators to come in.

“We are improving our ability to handle the passengers who come here, so that the impression they have of our airport, and of Rwanda in general, is lasting and positive.”

Mr. Mbaraga would like to see local air operators entering into joint ventures with international airlines. “We believe we should be able to tap into those resources.

“We are also hoping to work in close cooperation with international aviation agencies and technical partners. We believe that they can help attract investors to the aviation industry in Rwanda.”

Manzi Kayihura, Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda’s national carrier, Rwandair Express, agrees that Rwanda’s geographical position is a huge advantage. “We are right between East and Central Africa. The Democratic Republic of Congo—a huge untapped market—is literally in our backyard. Kigali is only a one-hour flight to Nairobi, which is the main hub in the region.

“We see ourselves as being able to be a sub-hub which can feed passengers on to Nairobi. Johannesburg is just a four-hour flight away and it’s only two hours to Dar es Salaam.”

Rwandair has introduced domestic flights three times a week between Kigali and Cyangugu on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo and close to northwest Burundi, providing a 35-minute alternative to a five-hour journey by road. The airline is also making daily flights to Entebbe in Uganda.