Rwanda is seeking to become a regional aviation hub for both passengers and cargo, Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye, Rwandan Minister of State in charge of Transport in the Ministry of Infrastructure said Monday.
.
“We are looking at Rwanda as a regional hub, not only with a focus on passenger traffic but also for cargo. We are looking at the development of an airport city to be managed in close coordination with a special economic zone, a theme park and an entertainment park,” Uwihanganye said at the 7th Africa Airport Expansion Summit in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda.
The focus area is to turn Rwanda into an aviation hub of the region by offering up to date and attractive air transport services, with the best air transport infrastructure and a more competitive national carrier, he said.
The Rwandan government has set a vision that aims at making the small central African country one of the major aviation hubs in Africa, he added.
The summit that runs through Tuesday has brought together among others, civil aviation and transport authorities, investors, airlines and air traffic experts to discuss ways to boost Africa’s aviation sector.
Rwanda is constructing the Bugesera international airport, which is expected to host 1.9 million passengers a year.
With a fleet of twelve aircraft including two wide-body Airbus A330, Rwanda’s national carrier RwandAir currently reaches out to 26 destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
Source: xinhuanet.com
