Kigali International Airport

Kigali International Airport (IATA: KGL, ICAO: HRYR), formerly known as Kanombe International Airport, is the primary airport serving Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Currently, there is an ongoing project to build another mega-airport in Bugesera District, Eastern Province, which will be the biggest and the main air gateway for all destinations in the country, in addition to serving as a transit airport for Goma and Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. There are 4 airlines based in Kigali: RwandAir, the flag carrier airline of Rwanda; Akagera Aviation, a Rwandan heli-company;^[2] Tempus Jet, an American airline providing charter flights;^[3] and Nexus Aero, a Saudi VIP airline.^[4]

Kigali International Airport
IATA: KGL ICAO: HRYR
Summary
Airport type	Civil aviation airport
Operator	Rwanda Airports Authority
Serves	Kigali
Location	Kigali, Rwanda
Hub for	RwandAir
Elevation AMSL	4,891 ft / 1,491 m
Coordinates	01°57′59″S 030°07′59″E / 1.96639°S 30.13306°E / -1.96639; 30.13306Coordinates: 01°57′59″S 030°07′59″E / 1.96639°S 30.13306°E / -1.96639; 30.13306
Map
KGL Location within Rwanda
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 10/28 11,482 3,500 Paved
Statistics (2016)
Passengers 710,000^[1]

Location

 

Mil Mi-17 Rwanda Air Force - Darfur support, U.S. Army Africa, Kigali, Rwanda 090114

 

Rwandair Express Aircraft at Kigali airport

 

Kigali International Airport

The airport is located in the suburb of Kanombe Sector, at the eastern edge of Kigali, approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi), by road, east of the central business district of the city of Kigali.^[5]

History

During the Rwandan Civil War, Kigali airport was a major strategic point. Since Rwanda is a landlocked nation, this represented the only easy way in and out of the country. The airport had two runways, but after the Arusha Accords, one runway was closed down after a request from the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Later, in April 1994, President Habyarimana's plane was shot down. It is disputed whether the RPF or the Rwandan Defence Forces (FAR) shot down the plane. This event triggered a renewal of the civil war and the beginning of the Rwandan genocide.

Passenger traffic

Annual passenger traffic at KGL airport. See Wikidata query.

In 2008, the airport served 145,189 passengers, and about 290,000 passengers in 2010.^[6] In May 2011, the Rwanda CAA announced that Kigali airport will be upgraded to meet the strong demand.^[7] Works started in October 2012 and will be completed in May 2014.^[8] In 2012, data from Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority shows that passenger traffic through Kigali International Airport grew by 30 per cent to 488,903 last year, up from 377,327 in 2011.^[9] The airport handled over 300 flights a week. The airport is designed to handle 400,000 passengers per year. International and domestic passenger numbers were nearly 600,000 in 2013,^[1] while there were about 400 weekly flights.^{[citation needed]} International and domestic passenger numbers totaled 710,000 in 2016.^[1]

Facilities

There are three terminals at Kigali. The main two-story terminal was built to replace the single-story building, now housing the VIP terminal. The main terminal can handle 6 small-to-midsized aircraft, but also up to a Boeing 747 jet. The south side of the runway has two helicopter pads with access to the main runway, used by military helicopters. A cargo terminal is also located at the airport. The latest upgrades to tarmac and support systems were made in 2002. There is free Wi-Fi in the airport waiting area. In 2014, Kigali Airport ranked as the seventh-best regional airport in Africa, because of its capacity to respond to disaster, through its fire department (Category Nine), the second-best according to International Aviation Organisation standards.

Rwandair has its head office on the top floor of the airport main building.^[10][11] The airline previously had its head office in Centenary House in Kigali.^[12] The airline began moving its operations from Centenary House to the airport on Friday 14 May 2010. The airline was scheduled to be moved in by Monday 17 May 2010.^[11]

In addition, Akagera Aviation and the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority have their offices at the airport.^[13]

New Kigali (Bugesera) International Airport

Main article: Bugesera International Airport

There are plans to replace the current airport with a new one located south of Kigali on the south side of the Nyabarongo River in Bugesera. A new airport location is needed as the existing airport does not allow for upgrades such as additional runways and other facilities. The new airport will have one runway, with provisions for a second one to be added later. Construction activities for this airport started in 2017 and are planned to be completed in 2022.

In September 2016, a contract between the Rwandan government and Mota-Engil Engenharia e Construção África, S.A., a Portuguese firm, was signed. The company will construct the airport in two phases with works on the first phase now scheduled to begin in June 2017. After finishing the first phase by December 2018, Mota-Engil Engenharia e Construção África, S.A. will subsequently operate the airport for 25 years. The airport will have a capacity of 1.7 million passengers per year. A second phase that is planned to be built after that is supposed to raise the capacity of the airport to 4.5 million passengers per year. Mota-Engil Engenharia e Construção África, S.A. will cover the costs of US$418 million for the first phase and US$400 million for the second phase, leading to a total investment of US$818 million. As compensation, the company has the right to keep the profits from operating the airport. Under the agreement, the Rwandan government won't have to contribute to the costs of construction and operation.^[14]

In March 2019, the government confirmed that some works were temporarily put on hold in order for a redesign to take place.^[15] The redesign will ensure that the airport is up to international standards.

In December 2019, Qatar's state-owned airline, Qatar Airways, collaborated with the Rwanda Development Board to purchase a 60% stake in the Bugesera International Airport. Infrastructure minister Claver Gatete said, “We are looking for a bigger sized airport. That's why we are looking for a bigger investor.”^[16]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Auric Air	Entebbe, Grumeti, Mwanza, Seronera
Brussels Airlines	Brussels
Coastal Aviation	Mwanza
Egyptair	Cairo
Ethiopian Airlines	Addis Ababa
Israir	Seasonal: Tel Aviv^[17]
Kenya Airways	Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
KLM	Amsterdam
RwandAir	Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Addis Ababa, Bangui, Brazzaville, Brussels, Bujumbura, Cape Town, Cotonou, Cyangugu, Dar es Salaam, Doha,^[18] Douala, Dubai–International, Entebbe, Goma,^[19] Harare, Johannesburg–O.R. Tambo, Juba, Kilimanjaro, Kinshasa–N'djili, Lagos, Libreville, London–Heathrow, Lubumbashi,^[20] Lusaka, Mombasa, Mumbai, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta, Paris–Charles de Gaulle (begins 27 June 2023)^[21]
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Magma Aviation	Liege, Nairobi
Ethiopian Airlines Cargo	Addis Ababa,^[22] Brazzaville,^[23] Bujumbura
Qatar Airways Cargo	Doha, Liège, Entebbe, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta^[24]

Incidents and accidents

• 6 April 1994 – A Falcon 50 owned by and carrying then-president of Rwanda Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down while approaching the airport, killing all 12 aboard including Habyarimana and then-president of Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira, who were returning from a meeting to end the Rwandan civil war. The wreckage landed in front of the presidential palace. The attack was blamed on Tutsi rebels, and, as a result, within one hour of the crash Interahamwe militias began the Rwandan genocide. There is no consensus on who actually shot down or ordered the attack on the plane.
• 1 June 2004 – An Antonov 32 owned by Sun Air (9XR-SN), reportedly suffered some problems with the left main undercarriage after takeoff from Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The airplane was headed for Goma, but diverted to Kigali for an emergency landing. The aircraft crashed on landing, causing the Russian pilots and Congolese passengers to sustain serious injuries. The An-32 involved in the accident had been detained in Goma mid-July 2003 because it carried a shipment of armaments destined for a Rwanda-backed militia in the Congolese Kasai region.
• 12 November 2009, RwandAir Flight 205, a Bombardier CRJ-100 crashed into a VIP terminal shortly after an emergency landing; out of the 10 passengers and 5 crew, 1 passenger died.

References

1. Julien Clémençot (23 June 2017). "Aéroports : l'Afrique prend de l'altitude". Jeune Afrique. from the original on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
2. . Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
3. . Tempusjets.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2013.
4. . Nexus.aero. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013.
5. "Road Distance Between Kigali And Kanombe With Map". Distancecalculator.globefeed.com. from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
6. . Hope-mag.com. 7 March 2013. Archived from the original on 10 June 2013.
7. Majyambere, Gertrude (13 May 2011). "Rwanda: Kigali International Airport to Get Rwf8 Billion Facelift". from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2017 – via AllAfrica.
8. "News details". Mininfra.gov.rw. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
9. "New Rwanda airport ready for take-off". Theeastafrican.co.ke. 19 February 2014. from the original on 19 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
10. "All RwandAir Offices & Branches 6 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine." RwandAir. Retrieved on 24 May 2011. "Kigali Head Office Kigali International Airport Main Building (top floor)"
11. "Announcement on RwandAir Head Office shift from Centenary House to new airport office 15 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine." RwandAir. Retrieved on 16 June 2010.
12. Flight International 12–18 April 2005
13. "ANNUAL CONTRACT FOR OFFICE STATIONERY SUPPLY 21 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine." Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved on 3 March 2013. "1. Tender Documents in ENGLISH may be obtained from Kigali International Airport (RCAA offices)"
14. "Portuguese firm takes over Bugesera airport project, says works to be completed in 2018". New Times. 2 September 2016. from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
15. "Bugesera International Airport under redesign". www.newtimes.co.rw. 20 March 2019. from the original on 20 March 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
16. "Qatar Airways to buy new Rwandan international airport". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
17. "Israir launches flights to low-infection Rwanda". Globes. 11 March 2020.
18. "Hamad International Airport welcomes RwandAir's direct flights from Kigali to Doha". Hamad International Airport. 2 December 2021.
19. "The Most Notable New Airline Routes This Week". 19 October 2021.
20. "RwandAir to launch two new routes to the DRC". 13 September 2021.
21. "Rwandair Schedules late-June 2023 Paris Launch". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
22. . Ethiopianairlines.com. 29 February 2012. Archived from the original on 11 April 2014.
23. . Focus.rw. 6 May 2013. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013.
24. (PDF). Cargo.martinair.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2009.

External links

  Media related to Kigali International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Information on the airport from WINNE
• The A-Z World Airports page on Kigali International
• An interview with John Nkongoli, Managing Director of Rwanda Airports Authority