Kigali, 19th 2019- RwandAir Monday launched its long-awaited flights to the Chinese city of Guangzhou. It was ecstasy as the Rwandan national carrier’s Airbus A330-300 took off from the Kigali International Airport at exactly 00:52a.m, embarking on a 15-hour flight to China’s third largest city.

The inaugural flight on the new Kigali-Guangzhou route had 234 passengers on board, including Minister of State in charge of Transport Hon. Eng. Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye and RwandAir’s Chief Executive Officer, Mme Yvonne Makolo.

RwandAir will be operating three flights to what is now its third Asian destination after Dubai and Mumbai.

According to Minister of State in charge of Transport Hon. Eng. Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye, this route is an important milestone to Rwandair and to the Rwandan Aviation industry in general. It is the first longest route we are doing. It connects better the African regions we serve with China and India.  

The flights will be making stopovers in India’s commercial capital of Mumbai before making their way to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangdong Province.

With China positioned as one of Rwanda’s biggest trading partners, Rwandair is expected to cash in on the route, with the first flight already being overbooked.

“China is one of biggest trading partners of Rwanda and the region. The imports to Rwanda have been growing at 13 % annually and it is now around $400m per year the same as exports almost $6m, growing at 11%,” he said.

Minister of State in charge of Transport, Hon. Eng. Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye said that the Guangzhou route will ease transport and significantly reduce transport costs and time which will have an impact on the Rwandan economy. He said that the route will greatly contribute to Rwanda’s plan to be a regional aviation hub not only for passenger traffic but also cargo.

With a stopover in Mumbai, Rwandair seeks to be the main link between its 27 destinations, 23 of them on the African continent, with India and China –two countries which have become major destinations for business people. Guangzhou is Rwandair’s 28th destination.

A 29th route to Israel’s city of Tel Aviv  is on the horizon with the national carrier expected to open that route next week. 

Guangzhou, known as the Canton City, is a port city northwest of Hong Kong on the Pearl River. It is one of the major shopping destinations for merchants, is known for popular tourist attractions such as the iconic Canton Tower and Guangzhou Chime long Tourist Resort.

In July last year, Rwanda signed a raft of agreements with Beijing during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Rwanda – the first visit to the Central African Nation by any Chinese Head of State – to step up bilateral ties across various sectors, including civil aviation transport.

Later in November, the Country also signed three deals with China’s leading e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba Group to help scale up trade and tourism ties between the two countries.

The development is expected to boost Rwanda’s reputation as a top investment destination, with Chinese companies initiating more than 21 projects, worth US$420 million (about Rwf363.5 billion), between 2006 and 2008, according to Rwandan government official figures.

In Rwanda, most Chinese investors are involved in tourism, mining, hospitality and construction, among other sectors.

Guangzhou, a major source of merchandise for the African market, including Rwanda, is regarded as China’s transport, industrial and commercial hub.

Figures show that Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport was China's third-busiest and world's 13th-busiest airport by passenger traffic in 2017, handling 65,806,977 passengers that year alone.

According to Minister of State in charge of Transport Hon. Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye, Rwandair’s passenger traffic has been on an upward trajectory in the three couple of years and the Guangzhou route is expected to boost the numbers further.