Qatar Airways has further expanded operations in Africa with the launch of its 17th destination on the continent with the start of daily scheduled A320 flights to Rwanda’s capital city of Kigali
from late last month.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said the new Kigali service
fitted the carrier’s focus on operating to underserved markets worldwide.

“The direct daily air link between my home city of Doha and Kigali is further testament to Qatar Airways’ commitment to expanding our presence in Africa and East Africa in particular, a dynamic region to where we already fly twice daily to both Nairobi and Dar
es Salaam, and daily to Entebbe.

“Our newest route connects the mineral rich Rwandan landscape
with the energy rich nation of Qatar, neighbouring Gulf states and cities around the world,” added Al Baker, stressing that Africa continued to be a focus of growth for Qatar Airways this year as it plans further expansion across the Continent.

In recent months, Qatar Airways launched new African services to
Benghazi in Libya and the Ugandan city of Entebbe, with a further three route start-ups planned over the next few months – Mombasa in Kenya, and both Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar in Tanzania. The addition of daily flights to the Rwandan capital Kigali takes Qatar Airways’ East African coverage, including Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, up to 42 flights every week.

Other destinations currently served across Africa from Doha are
Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lagos, Khartoum, Seychelles, Cairo, Luxor, Alexandria, Benghazi, Tripoli, Algiers, Tunis and Casablanca.

Rwanda is fast emerging as a growing economic centre, forming
strong trade links with Europe and the Far East, thanks largely to its rich mineral resources. The country’s economy is largely based on agriculture but has thriving mineral and tourism industries.