RwandAir launches Entebbe-Nairobi flights

By Billy Rwothungeyo                                

ENTEBBE - Ugandans travelling to the Kenyan capital Nairobi by air now have a wider menu to choose from after RwandAir launched flights between Entebbe International Airport and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

While presiding over the launch of the Rwandan national carrier’s latest route on Thursday, Transport Minister Abraham Byandala hailed the coming of a new player on the route.

“When Air Uganda services were stopped, the fares went up. Naturally, Ugandans were complaining and rightly so. With the coming in of RwandAir and others, the fares will go down,” he said at the launch of the inaugural flight in Entebbe.

RwandAir’s CEO John Mirenge hailed Uganda’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for swiftly giving the airline the license to operate along the route.

“It (getting approval) was very easy with the authorities in Uganda, as soon as we put in the request; we were granted rights within two days,” he said.
 

Minister Abraham Byandala cuts the ribbon to launch the new route. (Photo credit: Maria Wamala)

RwandAir joins Kenyan carriers Kenya Airways and FlySax on the Nairobi-Entebbe route. FlySax only launched their Entebbe-Nairobi flights recently.

After the grounding of Air Uganda last year by CAA, Kenya Airways for a while was the sole-airline along the route. Air tickets soared up to sh1.6m for a return ticket, much to the chagrin of many travellers.

Many believe that with the new players coming on board, the prices will be commensurate to the 45-minute flight.