Qatar Airways - Afrikan Heroes

Qatar Airways Details Its Partnership With RwandAir

August 6, 2021

Qatar Airways has officially inked an interline agreement with RwandAir, deepening their partnership. The move will allow travelers on both carriers to access over 160 destinations across the networks from their hubs. The agreement comes just weeks after the pair linked their miles schemes to allow passengers to earn on all flights.

In a statement this week, Qatar Airways announced the new interline agreement with RwandAir. The move will allow passengers to book flights across both airlines’ networks as though they were flying the same airline, flying via their hubs in Doha and Kigali.

In total, the agreement extends to an astounding 160 cities globally, giving passengers lots of choices now. This is in addition to Qatar and RwandAir’s decision to offer frequent flyer reciprocity, allowing passengers to earn and use their miles on any airline.

Both airlines have much to gain from the new partnership, which will only become more prominent once international travel bounces back. Photo: RwandAir

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker has always been optimistic about the RwandAir purchase and strategy. He reiterated the same view in a statement this week, saying,

“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.”

In February 2020, Qatar Airways acquired a 49% stake in RwandAir, giving it a huge advantage in the African market. This market was quickly growing more prominent for the bustling international airline, with new routes popping up even during the pandemic.

With the new interline agreement; Qatar Airways will be able to use Kigali as a partner hub for destinations across the continent. Meanwhile, RwandAir will offer its passengers connections across the globe, including lucrative European routes, all with a stop in Doha.

Qatar Airways will continue flying five-time weekly service to Kigali (via Entebbe) in the future, opting for the Boeing 787-8 on this route. 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.

Qatar Airways is currently in the middle of a busy summer season, with hundreds of destinations back on the map. The carrier is currently seeing over 300 daily aircraft movements and carrying up to 90,000 passengers every day. This comes as the industry makes a strong recovery on the back of quick vaccine rollouts in several countries.

For now, expect to see Qatar and RwandAir work more closely in the coming months and years. If predictions hold true, Qatar Airways has a lot to gain from the new partnership, and RwandAir will be on track to become a major African player soon.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

The Huge Potential Qatar Airways Sees In Africa

May 14, 2021

By James Pearson

Africa is an important and growing part of Qatar Airways’ network, but where could be next and how suited is the airline’s fleet? Qatar Airways’ Hendrik Du Preez, Vice-President for Africa, recently spoke to Routesonline about the airline’s development and opportunities across the vast continent.

Qatar Airways serves some 26 destinations across Africa in its own right this year. The A350-1000, seen here, is mainly used to Johannesburg, and also Cairo to a limited degree. Qatar Airways’ Africa network now comprises 26 destinations, analyzing OAG data indicates, up from 24 in 2019. Abuja, Accra, and Luanda were all added in 2020, while Abidjan is coming this June. Meanwhile, Cairo and Alexandria have resumed following the end of the blockade.

These additions have offset the loss of Gaborone, Marrakesh, Rabat, and Windhoek. Speaking to Routesonline, Du Preeze singled out both Gaborone and Windhoek – each very tourist-driven – as likely to return next year.Qatar AirwaysThese additions have offset the loss of Gaborone, Marrakesh, Rabat, and Windhoek. Speaking to Routesonline, Du Preeze singled out both Gaborone and Windhoek – each very tourist-driven – as likely to return next year.

Johannesburg, Cairo, Nairobi, Cape Town, Lagos, Dar Es Salaam, Casablanca, Tunis, Zanzibar, and Entebbe are the carrier’s top-10 Africa destinations by total flights.

On the Airway’s next step, it says that resumptions are just one part of Qatar Airways Plan for Africa. “We are definitely looking at other destinations in Africa as there is huge potential across the continent for new routes.”

The Democratic Republic of Congo, Somaliland, South Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, were all mentioned by Du Preez as possible future destinations. And the capitals of these countries – Kinshasa, Hargeisa, Juba, Lusaka, and Harare – would make sense. Pre-COVID, Dubai had up to 13 weekly departures to Hargeisa, 11 by Emirates’ partner, flydubai.

This year, Qatar Airways’ leading African countries, by flights, are South Africa, Egypt, Tanzania, Kenya, and Nigeria. Bilateral agreements remain a vital piece of the jigsaw for growth. Find out more: Join our forthcoming webinar to hear from the CEO of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker. Qatar Airways has often relied on partner airlines to reach parts of the continent that it did not serve, and they have been crucial to its development.

“We have an interline agreement with Air Côte d’Ivoire, which is important because we do not have that reach in West Africa. We have interlines with many of the airlines all over Africa.”

He said that negotiation is still ongoing with Rwandair, with data showing Qatar Airways has served Kigali since 2012. And South Africa’s Comair, a British Airways franchisee, may well become a partner too. South Africa is by far Qatar Airways’ number-one country in Africa this year, with Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg served.

“We are definitely establishing deeper partnerships with key partners around the continent going forward.”

The B787-8 is the main aircraft for Qatar Airways’ Africa operations. 20 airports across the continent will see it this year.

Du Preez believes that Qatar Airways’ mixed fleet is crucial to its Africa development. This offers flexibility and the opportunity to right-size capacity to demand as passenger traffic picks up; after all, it can take a good while for a long-haul to develop.

It also enables the airline to start a new route – perhaps a secondary destination, of which “there are many of them” – with a smaller aircraft and to build up over time.

While having fewer than 15% of flights to African destinations, narrowbodies, like this A320, are important for Qatar Airways. If Juba and Hargeisa happen, they’re likely to start with them.

Qatar Airways uses eight aircraft types to Africa this year. In order of the number of flights, they are the B787-8, A350-900, A320, B777-300ER, A350-1000, B777-200LR, B787-9, and A319. The carrier used the A319 on just one route – to Seychelles – back in January.

The end of the Qatar blockade has been significant for certain destinations, including Khartoum and Lagos, which have seen hours shaved off their flight times. This means a huge amount of fuel is saved, and Qatar Airways is again more competitive in terms of flight time. The carrier’s mixed fleet also enables a strong focus on cargo, where it makes sense, which can make a huge difference. As Du Preez said:

“Thanks to the belly hold of the B787s and A350s, a lot of the [trip] cost can be covered by the cargo and at the same time we are building up on the passenger side.”

James Pearson is a Route Development Analyst – James lives and breathes route development