CASSOA congratulates Rwanda on Rwandair Airbus A330 delivery
The ever growing numbers of tourists from abroad to the East African Community region, coupled with the number of East Africans travelling abroad for both private business and official missions brought along its own challenges, that of inadequate air vessel capacity and rising ticket fares.
It was to this effect that Rwandair, following the successful recertification by the country’s Regulatory Authority, moved in to fill the gap; first by acquiring two Boeing B737-700 and two Boeing B737-800 to ply the Dubai and West Africa air routes, and later by placing an order for a bigger bird – A330. Now, the bigger bird has been delivered and it is all smiles in Kigali and the EAC at large.
The EAC region has come a long way in the development of civil aviation following the States’ independence from their colonial masters in the early 1960s. The EAC saw the amalgamation of local airlines in the region to consolidate the East African Airways, with their aircraft remaining on their State registry but the livery being that of East African Airways. East African Airways Corporation began operations on 1st January 1946. The airline was a successor from the pioneering airline Wilson Airways and took on the ICAO registration code “VP” Victor Papa. The aircraft which were registered in the individual states were identified by the first letter of the State as follows; Uganda – VP-UAA, Kenya – VP-KAA (except for Tanzania which got her independence last – VP-ZAA).
Vickers Super VC10 1154, 5X-UVA, c/n 881 in London. The Super VC-10 was introduced on 13th October 1966. Photo: Steve Williams
The new technical challenge which the East African airlines face now is the diversity of the fleet, personal to holder, so to say. Each Partner State’s airline seems to have its own type of fleet with Kenya Airways having Boeing 737, 777, 787 and Embraers 190 while Tanzania’s Precision Air operates Aerospatiale ATR42 and ATR72, Air Tanzania has Dash DHC 8-Q3. Now Rwandair has brought in A330. This comes into play in cases of AOG – Aircraft on Ground technical delays, where a neighbouring State’s airline cannot loan a spare from its colleague across the border, but rather has to wait for the spare to be delivered from the Americas or Europe.
The new Airbus A330 after the ceremonious water canon guard of honour by the Kigali International Airport ARFF – Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting, upon delivery in Kigali, Rwanda.
The new Rwandair A330, similar to the ones KLM uses to ply the route Kigali-Entebbe-Amsterdam.
Nonetheless, CASSOA whole heartedly congratulates the people of Rwanda, management and staff of Rwandair on their successful delivery of the new machine – Airbus A330.
EAC CASSOA
September, 2016