The maiden flight to Doha was welcomed by the ambassador of Rwanda in Qatar, François Nkulikiyimfura and the HIA Qatar staff.
Hamad International Airport (HIA) welcomes new direct flights from Rwanda to Qatar, facilitated by the codeshare agreement between Qatar Airways and RwandAir.
The agreement between both national carriers offers global travellers greater choice, comfort, and connectivity provided at HIA – the World’s Best Airport.
Connecting more of Africa to the world, this newest addition allows passengers from Qatar’s airport to seamlessly travel to more than 25 destinations across Africa, Europe, and Asia. Qatar Airways passengers can take advantage of the partnership and choose from three weekly flights on rwandair.com by using their Qatar Airways Qmiles.
HIA offers global travellers convenient connectivity through its strategic location, with 80% of the world’s population able to connect with the World’s Best Airport through 6-hour flights.
Additionally, HIA delivers a mosaic of cultural, retail, and hospitality offerings encompassed in a secure and efficient airport experience.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “As the world’s preferred gateway to Qatar and beyond, HIA has successfully continued to deliver safe operations to both global airlines and passengers alike. We welcome RwandAir as the latest addition to the airlines served at HIA; an illustrative accomplishment for the expansion of RwandAir’s routes, and the recovery of travel through Qatar’s airport.”
Yvonne Makolo, RwandAir CEO said: “RwandAir is proud to partner with HIA and Qatar Airways, which will act as a catalyst to continue our recovery and demonstrates our commitment to enhance the travelling experience for our customers.
“It will provide greater connections through HIA to Qatar, and to destinations around the world on Qatar Airways, to dramatically boost the choice of routes for our customers from Kigali.”
The agreement is also born out of commitment to passenger well-being and safety. Earlier this year, RwandAir became the first airline to achieve the Diamond Standard of Safety Airline Passenger Experience Association’s (APEX) Health Safety Powered by SimpliFlying audit.
Focused on offering safety and comfort in its airport experience, HIA has also continually adapted to changing travel and health requirements and implemented innovative technologies to ensure a protected travel journey to its passengers.
These efforts led to Hamad International Airport’s rank as the Best Airport in the World at Skytrax’s 2021 World Airport Awards. Qatar’s airport was also chosen as the “Best Airport in the Middle East,” “Best Airport 25 to 35 million Passengers”, “Best Airport Staff in the Middle East,” in Skytrax’s customer surveys, and was further recognised for its “COVID-19 Airport Excellence” during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Operating from Kigali, with its hub at the heart of Africa, RwandAir is one of the world’s fastest growing airlines and operates one of the youngest state-of-the-art fleets on the African continent. With a reputation for delivering a premium service to all its customers, RwandAir operates 12 aircraft with an average age of just under six years. It offers services to 29 destinations across 24 countries throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.(End)