Exclusive: RwandAir eyes new European destinations as Qatar Airways tie-up fuels growth
November 9, 2025
In 2021, RwandAir and Qatar Airways signed a comprehensive codeshare agreement. Since then, the cooperation has expanded considerably with Qatar Airways announcing its intention to purchase a 49% stake in the Kigali-based carrier. The agreement is not just financial: it is a strategic investment from the Gulf company to strengthen its position in East Africa.
The deal has been in the works since 2020. Things were delayed in part as the Middle Eastern party switched from Qatar Airways to the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). The deal was expected to be finalised several months ago, but this has not happened. When asked, RwandAir told Aerospace Global News that it could not confirm whether the deal would be finalised this year.
Earlier this year, CEO Yvonne Makolo said that the agreement “allows us to reset and to get things right”. This includes an in-depth review of its fleet and network plans, taking advantage of Qatar Airways’ “muscle in terms of negotiating and sourcing suitable aircraft for us.”
But it is not just aircraft. It’s also personnel. Fouad Caunhye, the company’s Chief Commercial Officer, was formerly Regional Manager for Southern Africa at Qatar Airways until he joined RwandAir in 2024. He detailed the carrier’s upcoming expansion plans in an interview with Aerospace Global News.
With 2 more Airbus A330s, RwandAir could be bound for Frankfurt, Guangzhou and Mumbai
RwandAir’s current long-haul network is flown using its three Airbus A330 aircraft. It flies to three destinations – all in Europe – namely Brussels, Paris and London. The Belgian capital is served through a Kigali-Paris-Brussels-Paris-Kigali routing. The widebodies are also deployed to Lagos.
It expects to take a fourth Airbus A330-200 in December, followed by a fifth next year. Both of these, Caunhye revealed, will enable expansion to several destinations, including Frankfurt for the first time.
“We will be extending our own wings over different points in Europe and some of them are being evaluated at the moment. As we speak, we are looking at Frankfurt, for instance, in Central Europe and other points as well for potential implementation,” he revealed. “Besides Europe, we’re looking at Mumbai. We’re looking at Guangzhou for eventual entry service next year. The timeframe is not yet defined, but we are evaluating things for next year.”
The airline used to serve both Guangzhou via Mumbai, but suspended the route during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has previously said that demand for flights to China is high. It resumed flights to Mumbai but did so using a Boeing 737-800 via either Mombasa or Entebbe. The route was cut in March 2024, citing its inability to fly nonstop to India.
RwandAir is also evaluating an extension of its Paris footprint with the additional capacity. It currently flies to Paris three times per week.
Cannibalisation or close collaboration? RwandAir’s partnership with Qatar Airways
At first glance, a Qatar Airways tie-up might seem odd. RwandAir’s network currently spans several destinations in Europe, a handful of flights to West Africa and a growing network in its vicinity. Passengers connecting within Africa are out of reach for Qatar Airways, as a stopover in Doha makes little sense.
However, when it comes to Europe-Africa traffic, Qatar Airways is an important player. When asked whether that would limit future growth, Caunhye pointed to the new Frankfurt route and broader European expansion further down the line. “At the end of the day, QIA will own 49% of RwandAir, with 51% being owned by the government of Rwanda, and any revenues made by both parties of their wings will be beneficial,” he added.
It is the Qatar Airways partnership that has allowed such growth, though. When asked about what the relationship currently looks like, Caunhye described the company as already having been “embedded” into its operation.
“It’s extremely important, strategic support,” he said. “It is extremely valuable in the context of today having that kind of overview and capability, from one of the biggest carriers in the world.”
This year’s fleet growth can also be attributed to the success of the Qatari tie-up. Caunhye confirmed that the airline helped in terms of “lease facilitation” and reiterated the importance of having an experienced partner with a global network and large fleet.
In August, it took delivery of two Boeing 737-800s as part of its plan to more than double passenger numbers by the end of the decade.
“There’s enough of a market for everybody”: RwandAir on competition to Zanzibar and Mombasa
RwandAir has had to pivot away from its traditional markets in West Africa. In February, the Democratic Republic of Congo closed its airspace to Rwandan carriers as conflict between the two countries escalated. The terms of a June 2025 peace treaty, brokered by the United States, have not yet been met.
The carrier has had to revise its network in West Africa. Flight times are now longer on the routes it continues to fly, including to Lagos with its A330s and Accra. It had to suspend several routes, including to Brazzaville, Abuja and Cotonou. Instead, it is shifting capacity to its eastern and southern Africa routes, hence the launch to Zanzibar and Mombasa.
The carrier is targeting its traditional passenger groups, namely economically motivated travel from migrant labour and visiting friends and relatives traffic. However, it is also attempting to appeal to touristic travel from Europe, which provides a “much more year-round” flow of customers.
When asked whether it could compete against nearby Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines, Caunhye said there is “enough of a market for everybody.” RwandAir also benefits from the proximity of key tourist hotspots, he continued, improving its appeal. It believes that around 12-15% of travellers who arrive in Rwanda for local tourism can be “extended into these other points.”
Developing the hub’s spokes
Zanzibar and Mombasa are additions to the carrier’s growing hub network. The executive highlighted that the new destinations appeal to passengers beyond its Europe destinations.
“We are quite a limited carrier here by way of total number of routes. But you know, any route is a combination of 10 to 12 primary points of sale, including the ones that are interlined via Doha, and which we carry from Doha to Kigali on Qatar or on RwandAir wings, he explained.
Qatar Airways resumed flights to Kigali earlier this year.
RwandAir is also trying to avoid markets it deemed already “overcapacitated,” mainly higher-density population centres in Africa. “The issue is that everybody operates there,” Caunhye said. “Every competitor operates in the same markets, and those same markets tend to be over-serviced, overcapacitated.”
Rather than launching new destinations to larger cities, adding Mombasa and Zanzibar allows it to partly differentiate itself.
“The key issue with Mombasa and Zanzibar is ensuring that your inventory connects with a hub carrier. And we are a hub carrier. To maximise or optimise your revenue and your passenger loads. So Mombasa and Zanzibar are also part of an exercise of growth: to new points on the network, to deliver additional revenues and passenger loads, but also to optimise connectivity.”
As it seeks the silver lining to its DRC operational constraints, RwandAir’s decisions over the next few months will prove key to long-term sustainable growth.
Featured image: gordzam | Adobe Stock
