Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Qatar Airways to begin add-on flights to Kigali

A usually well-informed source within Uganda’s aviation regulatory system has confirmed that Qatar Airways, since early November coming daily to Entebbe, will commence onward flights between Entebbe and Kigali, come March 21, 2012.
The flights will, on arrival in Entebbe, disembark passengers destined for Uganda before continuing to Kigali, from where then the return journey to Doha via Entebbe will begin. It is understood that Qatar Airways will have full 5th freedom traffic rights between the two destinations, according to the same source, giving the airline a clear competitive advantage over other Gulf aviation rivals, none of which is yet flying to Kigali.
The aircraft used will continue to be an Airbus A320 in a two-class configuration of 12 in business class and 132 in economy class. The new add-on destination will benefit tourism and trade in Rwanda as "The Land of a Thousand Hills" will be linked to Qatar Airways’ global network, through which passengers can reach the capital Kigali with but two stops enroute, in Doha and in Entebbe.
Qatar Airways will, in early 2012, also commence flights from Doha to Mombasa and Zanzibar, and the addition of Kigali will round up a comprehensive presence with daily flights, and in the case of Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, double daily flights between Qatar and East Africa.