RwandAir set to fly to India in December
Rwanda national carrier RwandAir has announced plans to start flights to Mumbai India by December this year as it seeks to tap into new markets and weather growing competition in the industry.
This would make Mumbai the carrier’s 17th destination after Nairobi, Entebbe, Mombasa, Bujumbura, Lusaka, Juba, Douala, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Johannesburg, Dubai, Lagos, Libreville and Brazzaville. According to the airline, it would start operating four flights to Mumbai every week in December using its new A330-300 aircraft.
As part of its preparations to launch the route, it has appointed India’s Bird Travel as the general sales agent as it prepares to launch the route. “We want Bird Travel to position our brand by creating awareness about our products and services in this market,” John Mirenge, RwandAir’s Chief Executive Officer said.
He explained that the sales agent will act as the liaison point for the airline’s sales development in India, providing ticketing and direct support services. He added that Bird Travel, which is part of the Bird Group founded in 1971 as an aviation management company, use its vast experience to market RwandAir in the vast travel market presented by India.
The firm specialises in representing airlines and other travel and tourism partners majorly as sales agent for operations, and aviation management. With over 40 years of experience and more than 45 offices supported by over 6,000 staff and an impressive clientele of over 500 top corporate companies, Praful Khosla, the Bird Travel executive vice-president, is confident RwandAir made a right choice.
“Bird Group is one of the largest and most diversified entities within the industry in the Indian sub-continent. We are therefore delighted to be associated with RwandAir as their exclusive sales agent in India,” Khosla said, adding that they are optimistic about the partnership. RwandAir signed a purchase agreement with Airbus A300-200 and A330-300 last year as part of its expansion strategy to Europe and East Asia, including India.
The national carrier is IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certified, which guarantees its safety and airworthiness. Sonia Kamikazi, the airline’s corporate quality assurance manager, said the certification ensures the airline is competitive in the cut throat aviation industry.
