Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 10 February 2020: On the sidelines of the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tunisia on Monday signed two milestone agreements on Civil Aviation, marking an important step to upgrade the rules and standards for flights between the two countries.

The pact was inked by Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Vincent Biruta and the Tunisian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sabri Bachtobji.

The new agreement which brings the number to 101 deals of the kind between Rwanda and Countries, will set a new benchmark by including provisions not normally covered by Bilateral Air Transport Agreements, such as social or environmental matters.

Under the agreement, all commercial flight operators from Rwanda and Tunisia will be allowed to operate inbound and outbound flight services between the two countries. The agreement will enable Rwanda’s National carrier RwandAir and Tunisia flag carrier TUNISAIR to fly to and from Kigali and Tunis respectively with a minimum of one stopover but less fatigue for passengers doing business between the two regions. Beyond traffic rights,the Tunisia-Rwanda agreement provides a single set of rules, high standards and a platform for future cooperation on a wide range of aviation issues, such as safety, security or air traffic management.

The deal, which allows both countries to share a free airspace authorization will facilitate trade, tourism and investment cooperation.