DALLAS — Kigali-based RwandAir (WB) has announced that it will start flights between Kigali International Airport (KGL) and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) on June 27, 2023. RwandAir will be the only airline offering nonstop flights connecting Rwanda and France. The route will be operated three times weekly.

The eight-and-a-half-hour flight between KGL and CDG will be operated by an Airbus A330-300 aircraft. The aircraft has a capacity of 274 seats, with 30 lie-flat business class seats and 244 seats in economy class. Flight WB700 will depart KGL on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 12:30 AM and arrive at CDG at 9:30 AM the same day. The return flight WB701 departs CDG at 9:30 PM on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and will arrive at KGL the following day at 6:00 AM.  

The flight will continue to Brussels, Belgium, as Brussels was recently separated from London Heathrow (LHR). For travelers flying from Brussels to KGL, the route will now stop in CDG before heading to KGL. The route will now be BRU-CDG-KGL, and both flights will be operated by the same aircraft.

Paris is WB's 25th destination and third destination in Europe. Travelers will be able to connect through Kigali to destinations across Africa through the carrier's extensive route network. The airline has a fleet of 13 aircraft, which includes three Airbus A330 aircraft for long-haul destinations. RwandAir plans to double its fleet over the next five years.

RwandAir CEO Yvonne Makolo commented, "The launch of our first-ever flights to Paris is an exciting development in RwandAir's continuing expansion and a testament to the importance of French-Rwandan relations….France is a major market for RwandAir as we connect the continents of Africa and Europe through our home hub in Kigali with this new direct service to Paris, one of the world's top tourism destinations." 

Adding, "French travellers can look forward to a warm welcome onboard on our inaugural flight today and for many more years to come as we deepen the ties of friendship and fraternity between France and Rwanda."

Featured image: RwandAir 9XR-WT (F-WWKQ) Airbus A330-941. Photo: Alberto Cucini/Airways