RwandAir, the national carrier, is to launch a new route to Mwanza in the Republic of United Tanzania in July.

The airline plans to operate three weekly flights on its Dash 8 making this its 14th destination.

“Flying to Mwanza will increase the number of passengers transiting through Kigali. Options for customers from Mwanza to travel to Dubai, Entebbe or Johannesburg are limited.

"RwandAir needs to position itself as a viable alternative to some real big players in the region. We can only achieve this by becoming a true network based airline,” John Mirenge, CEO RwandAir told Rwanda Today in an interview.

He said the airline has also increased its frequency to Johannesburg, South Africa due to demand.

“The more frequencies we offer, the more choice, convenience and flexibility we can offer,” Mr Mirenge said.

Currently, the airline has two new Boeing 737-800 that serve the Dubai, Lagos (Nigeria) and Johannesburg routes, expanding its fleet to seven aircrafts.

The airline plans to phase out the use of its 50-seater single cabin CRJ-200 as it grows its fleet with negotiations with Europe’s Airbus and Embraer, the Brazilian aerospace conglomerate, for future acquisition of aircraft.

“We have ordered two Bombardier CRJ aircraft and expressed interest in two more. These aircraft are going to serve regional routes like Entebbe, Nairobi and Dar es Salaam,” Mr Mirenge said.

Regional airlines including Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, EgyptAir and South African Airways (SAA) have over the past few months been seeking to increase their presence in Africa’s airspace.

Industry analysts say Africa should be the growth focus for RwandAir, despite the existence of strong regional airlines, since the market is not saturated.

The airline will provide the required linkage as a resident airline to the country’s planned new Bugesera airport.