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Construction of the new Bugesera airport in Rwanda continues. The site, launched in 2017 several dozen kilometers southeast of the capital Kigali, represents one of the major projects for the country which wants to position itself as the new aerial center of the region.
From our correspondent in Kigali,
On the Bugesera site, workers are busy completing the first phase of construction of the new airport. ” The current airport can accommodate up to 2.5 million passengers per year while the new airport will go up to 8 million in its first phase, argues Jules Ndenga, CEO of Aviation Travel & Logistics, the public group bringing together the various Rwandan companies linked to the aviation sector.. But the new airport is positioned as a hub not only for passengers, but also for cargo traffic with a capacity of 150,000 tons per year for the first phase and up to 300,000 tons per year in its second phase. So it’s a radical change in the size of the infrastructure. »
Qatar owns 60% of the future airport
The work plan, launched in 2017, was modified after agreements reached in 2019 with Qatar Airways, partner of the construction project with a 60% stake in the new airport, as well as 49% in the national airline Rwandair.
« This alliance is therefore an alliance that can provide Qatar Airways with accessibility on the African market already covered by Rwandair and the company, in exchange it will also be able to benefit from the presence of Qatar Airways in other destinations, particularly in Asia, says Jules Ndenga. We therefore hope to give a little more shape to South-South traffic, which is still quite embryonic and which will therefore allow Rwanda to fully play its role as an African hub.. »
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For Philip Lucky, head of investments for the RDB, the Rwanda Development Agency, the airport project will allow the development of other activities in the Bugesera region. ” The other dimension is to look at all the infrastructure that will be built around the airport, hotels, warehouses, he explains. We also talk about agriculture, because there are a lot of agricultural activities around Bugesera, which hopes to export their fresh products with this airport. We have the industrial park, which is not very far from the site of the new airport. So we see all these activities as complementary to this project. »
Completion of Bugesera airport works is expected by 2026.
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