Qatar Airways and RwandAir have shared details of their strategic partnership. As part of the strategic partnership, the extensive interline agreement will give passengers access to the networks of both airlines.
Strategic partnership
Passengers travelling on Qatar Airways and RwandAir will benefit from the new strategic partnership between both the airlines. This will give passengers access to the networks of both airlines, ‘providing a seamless travel experience and enhanced customer service including the frequent flyers programmes’.
Passengers will be able to choose from over 160 destinations in the combined networks of both airlines, which will be connected via their home hubs of Doha and Kigali.
Qatar Airways states that this latest cooperation comes hot on the heels of the airlines’ recent loyalty partnerships announcement, giving RwandAir Dream Miles and Qatar Airways Privilege Club loyalty members, access to each other’s destinations with the opportunity to ‘earn and burn’ points across their reciprocal route networks.
Mr. Akbar Al-Baker, Group Chief Executive, Qatar Airways, said:
This partnership cements our commitment to giving travellers the widest choice of destinations, while providing a seamless, high quality travel experience, which is the goal of both Qatar Airways and RwandAir. Africa is a hugely important market for us and this latest partnership will help support the recovery of international air travel and offer unrivalled connectivity to and from a number of new African destinations.
RwandAir operates services throughout Africa and to long-haul destinations including London Heathrow, from its Kigali-based hub.
Yvonne Makolo, CEO, RwandAir, said:
We’re really excited to be opening up more of the world to our customers through the new interline agreement with Qatar Airways. Delivering excellent customer experience is key for us and we know that any travelers flying with Qatar Airways or RwandAir, as part of the agreement, will continue to receive the same unrivalled level of service they’re used to from both airlines.
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Important
In February 2020, Doha-based Qatar Airways acquired a 49% stake in RwandAir, giving it a huge advantage in the African market. Africa was quickly growing more prominent for the bustling international airline, with new routes being added even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the new inter line agreement, Qatar Airways will be able to use Kigali as a partner hub for destinations across the continent including Bujumbura, Brazzaville and Libreville. At the same time, RwandAir will get to offer its passengers connections across the globe, including lucrative European routes, all with a stop in Doha.
Qatar Airways presently operates 5-weekly flights from Doha via Entebbe. These flights are operated by a Boeing B787-8 aircraft and will continue to operate going forward. However, when demand increases, we could see nonstop flights and higher frequencies. A RwandAir service to Doha cannot be ruled out either, given the new potential for traffic.
Meanwhile, the carrier has also ramped up services to the United States with over 100 weekly flights to 12 destinations. Also, the airline recently celebrated 10 years of flying to Canada and has expanded the use of IATA Travel Pass too. Qatar Airways recently unveiled new Boeing B787-9 Business Class product and has also strengthened its partnership with Alaska Airlines.
Featured image by Qatar Airways
What do you think of Qatar Airways and RwandAir’s strategic partnership? Let me know in the comments section below.
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