{"id":2000110699,"date":"2026-05-01T12:05:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T10:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/?p=2000110699"},"modified":"2026-05-01T12:05:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T10:05:44","slug":"omans-salamair-adds-rwanda-to-growing-africa-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/omans-salamair-adds-rwanda-to-growing-africa-network\/","title":{"rendered":"Oman\u2019s SalamAir adds Rwanda to growing Africa network"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The airline announced that operations are scheduled to begin on July 21, 2026, subject to regulatory approvals. The route will run twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with one-way Lite fares starting from OMR 69.99 (approximately Rwf 260,000).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new connection is expected to support growing business and trade links between Oman and East Africa. By offering direct and lower-cost travel, SalamAir aims to tap into demand from business travellers, investors, and the tourism sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKigali is a natural addition to our growing African network, offering strong fundamentals across business and leisure travel,\u201d said Steven Allen, Chief Commercial Officer at SalamAir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allen pointed to Rwanda\u2019s steady growth in tourism and corporate travel, as well as Kigali\u2019s role as a gateway to regional markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKigali itself is a vibrant, modern gateway, known for its culture, markets, and historical landmarks, and it opens the door to some of Africa\u2019s most compelling nature and eco tourism attractions. As part of our wider network strategy, we remain focused on linking Oman with high-growth markets through affordable, reliable, and direct connectivity,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kigali has positioned itself as a hub for conferences, investment, and innovation, supported by infrastructure such as the Kigali Convention Centre and ongoing developments in the aviation sector, including the new Bugesera International Airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new airport is scheduled for completion in 2027. Upon completion of the first phase, it will have the capacity to handle seven million passengers annually. A second phase, planned for completion in 2032, is expected to expand capacity to 14 million passengers per year. It is expected to play a central role in boosting economic growth and positioning the country as a regional and continental aviation hub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the new Muscat and Kigali route comes as Rwanda and Oman continue to deepen economic ties, with air connectivity seen as a key driver of trade, tourism, and investment flows between the two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SalamAir\u2019s move follows a similar plan by Oman Air, which is also preparing to launch direct flights between Muscat and Kigali in June 2026. The development is linked to broader agreements between the two countries covering areas such as logistics, infrastructure, and digital services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For SalamAir, the Kigali route forms part of its wider expansion strategy. The airline currently operates a fleet of Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft, serving 38 destinations with more than 80 daily flights. Additional aircraft are expected to join its fleet from mid-2026 as it increases capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The entry of new carriers on the Muscat\u2013Kigali route is likely to improve connectivity and offer more travel options for businesses and passengers moving between East Africa and the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Oman\u2019s low-cost carrier SalamAir announced that operations are scheduled to begin on July 21, 2026, subject to regulatory approvals. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oman\u2019s low-cost carrier SalamAir is set to launch direct flights between Muscat and Kigali, marking its entry into the Rwandan market as it expands its footprint in Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000110700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000110699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-62","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000110700,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2024-12-24-104620.png","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/png","width":850,"height":466,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2024-12-24-104620.png","width":150,"height":82},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2024-12-24-104620.png","width":300,"height":164},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2024-12-24-104620.png","width":768,"height":421},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2024-12-24-104620.png","width":850,"height":466},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2024-12-24-104620.png","width":850,"height":466}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000110699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000110699"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000110699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000110702,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000110699\/revisions\/2000110702"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000110700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000110699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000110699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000110699"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000110699"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000110699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}