Kigali — Rwandair has started flights to Douala, Cameroon its 16th destination.
This is part of the firm's four year business revamp and network and fleet expansion program.
According to John Mirenge, Chief Executive Officer, flights to Douala will be made five times a week from Kigali via three-year old route to Libreville in Gabon.
He added that flights connecting to Abidjan in the Ivory Coast were soon to become a reality as they sought to connect East Africa to the West African region.
"We are there to open new routes in order for business people to take advantage of the connectivity to tap into the countries' economic potentials," he said during a gala dinner in Douala.
Together with a business delegation of 50, Mirenge said Rwandair's new opening allowed the two countries, Rwanda and Cameroon start trade.
Mirenge said Rwandair has been undergoing a series of changes over the past four years.
"Rwandair has been there for the past 10 years, but after the government realizing its potential four years ago. A lot had been done in terms of buying new aircrafts and replacing the old ones," he said.
The company currently operates a fleet of eight planes with four more on order set to be delivered before 2017.
He added that they had been aggressive in terms of marketing and fare pricing in order to compete favorably with other carriers which ply the same routes. The Rwandan government carrier already plies routes to regional cities including Nairobi, Entebbe, Mombasa, Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro.
