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The first non-stop flight from Kigali Rwanda to Gatwick in the UK is causing excitement beyond Rwanda, according to several global news outlets like Travel Weekly and Business Traveller.
The report in Travel Weekly quoted the Gatwick chief commercial officer, Guy Stephenson, who said he was excited.
“This new service makes the adventure of a life time in the heart of Africa a real possibility for more people than ever before, be they spotting gorillas in the wild, game animals on safari or visiting the beautiful tea plantations.
“Rwanda is the latest long haul destination Gatwick serves and we now proudly boast more than 50 long haul routes in total – a claim few other international airports can make.”
The Kigali-Gatwick links joins a list of several other non-stop flights between Rwanda and Europe. Others include KLM’s Amsterdam-Kigali and Rwandair and Brussels Airlines flights from Kigali to Brussels.
Journalists and writers from these publications are constantly on the lookout for new flights and destinations for reports to a global audience. They are focused on making travel easier and efficient.
The maiden RwandAir flight for the Gatwick link is on May 26 and will run three flights a week from Kigali.
RwandAir will deploy a three-class Airbus A330-200 on the route on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays with a flight time of 8 hours 40 minutes.
It will have economy, premium economy and business class and the business class boasts of a fully-flat seat.
The flight will serve a large clientele of British travellers who are among the top five nationalities to visit Rwanda.
The report in Travel Weekly also mentioned that Rwanda attracted 1.3 million visitors in 2016 and trumpeted a list of major tourist attractions including the recently arrived black rhinos and several luxury lodges including One&Only which is to open a new lodge in Nyungwe and Wilderness Safaris which is due to open Bisate Lodge near Volcanoes National Park.
“This means that Rwanda is seen as one of Africa’s top countries for safaris,” the report said.
It also listed operators, such as Red Savannah, Expert Africa and Wild Frontiers, who “are also offering bespoke holidays and tours in the country”.
According to the report, Rwanda Development Board chief tourism officer, Belise Kariza, “Rwanda has seen a transformation in recent years and is now becoming one of the most sought-after destinations for premium travellers.
“With the new non-stop RwandAir flights to Kigali, and the opening of several premium lodges, Rwanda will be making a big impact as a must-visit country.”
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