RwandAir strengthens strategies to augment presence in New Zealand, Australia

RwandAir is absolutely in a vast expansion spree! The national carrier announced in December last year that it would start direct flights to Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. In the first week of January, RwandAir announced a direct route from Kigali to Israel's Tel Aviv. Now it has selected Airline Rep Services as the General Sales Agent to represent the airline in Australia and New Zealand.

The New Times reported the setting up of a call centre in Australia to service the requirements of travel agents and customers for the regions. Roheena Gidwani, the Managing Director of Airline Rep Services opined that the partnership would further market the national carrier to the region. "It is an amazing opportunity to partner with RwandAir and its growth story for the ANZ (Australia and the New Zealand) region. Rwanda is one of the safest countries in the world. From the capital city, Kigali, the airline serves some of the big cities in the world such as Mumbai, Dubai, Brussels, London and Johannesburg," Gidwani added.

RwandAir is one of the fastest growing airlines in the region with a fleet of twelve aircraft including two wide-body Airbus A330. The CEO, Yvonne Manzi Makolo clarified that the firm was selected following consideration of its operating standards, experience among other aspects. "We are pleased to associate with Airline Rep Services as RwandAir GSA that handles our sales and distribution network within Australia and New Zealand. This was accomplished due to their standards, and wealth of experience in air travel management. We are challenging them to capitalise on their strengths and capabilities to help to maximise our sales and revenues, promote the airline's presence in both markets, and connect our customers to over 26 destinations in Africa, Middle East, Europe and Asia," Makolo described.

Earlier, RwandAir commenced flights from Kigali to Mumbai, London (Gatwick), Brussels, Dakar and Harare. It also commenced flights to Brazzaville, Abidjan and Libreville from its Cotonou hub.