RwandAir (WB, Kigali) is planning to commence non-stop flights between Kigali and Mumbai International, India, this April using B737-800 metal. According to Airline Route, the 3x weekly route's outbound sector would be one of the type's longest commercial services in the world at eight hours.
John Mirenge, the maverick CEO of the Rwandan national airline, told The East African news site that the paperwork has been completed and he hopes to "ease market access for both countries and boost our tourism sectors."
Rwandan President Paul Kagame was in Gujarat last week meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a press announcement, PM Modi said that "India welcomed the initiative of a direct RwandAir flight from Kigali to Mumbai. Both sides continue to work on concluding a Bilateral Air Services Agreement and an agreement for the exemption of visa for diplomatic and official passport holders."
Presumably, if demand on the route is strong, RwandAir may upgauge it to an A330. It is recalled that the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) awarded the carrier rights to serve Guangzhou via Mumbai in July last year.
RwandAir also recently confirmed via its Twitter account that flights to Harare International via Lusaka will start in April 2017 9x weekly using its CRJ900s and B737-700s.
