Lack of designate cargo planes greatly affects Rwandair clients’ businesses, because goods for exports are usually delayed, leading to high transportation costs.
This among other challenges were highlighted during the Prime Minister’s recent guided tour of activities of the national carrier-Rwandair.
Dr. Pierre Damien Habumuremyi was also showed different sites and units such as ICT department, the arrival and departure terminals, and where perishable goods such as flowers to be exported are stored.
Presently Rwandair boasts of 41 pilots of which 14 are Rwandan nationals.
Rwandair CEO John Mirenge, told the Prime Minister that the company faces among other challenges, lack of modern equipments and small operating space due to the size of the airport.
Mirenge also said Rwandair aircrafts at Kigali international airport face a challenge of an outdated fueling system explaining that aviation fuel is transported to the planes by trucks and filled manually by fuelers, because the pipes are worn out.
He says this outdated process risky as it can bring about accidents.
In modern fuelling processes, aircrafts are filled with aviation fuel using a big pipe straight from stationed tanks to the aircraft.
Rwandair has a customer base of 250,000 anually , but targets to increase to over 1 million clients in the next ten years.
Rwandair has an annual turnover of close to US$47 million(approx. Frw 29 Billion). The company however, targets to raise to US$ 49 Million.
The national carrier has established 13 flight routes within Africa, but intends to add more 17 routes in Canada, Europe and USA, in the next ten years.
Rwandair administration says it wishes to acquire a carrier cargo plane with capacity of 30 tonnes.
The Premier commended various reforms implemented by Rwandair in 2008.
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