- Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir, Yvonne Makolo (left), and the Deputy Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Turkish Airlines, Bilal Ekşi, after sealing the partnership
By Anthony Nwachukwu
A new codeshare partnership aimed at offering customers increased travel choices and seamless services has taken off between leading African airline, RwandAir, and Turkish Airlines.
By this partnership, customers will leverage the extensive network of worldwide destinations of the partner-airlines for greater travel choices and seamless connections in both Kigali and Istanbul.
In a statement, the Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir, Yvonne Makolo, explained that “RwandAir customers travelling from Africa can now enjoy easy access to Turkish Airlines’ extensive network of over 300 worldwide destinations, giving Africa even greater global connectivity.
“Those travelling with Turkish Airlines can also benefit from this codeshare agreement, with customers arriving in Kigali now able to enjoy smooth onward connection across RwandAir’s African network.”
Eager to begin exploring the wide opportunities in Turkish Airlines’ versatility across the globe, Makolo said RwandAir was “incredibly excited to have signed this new codeshare agreement with one of the world’s largest and leading carriers, Turkish Airlines.
“This landmark move will not only allow our customers to access the 124 countries served by Turkish Airlines but also improve connections for inbound travellers to Africa via our extensive continental network.
“RwandAir is always exploring new commercial opportunities to expand its reach into markets which can deliver financial returns and benefit our growing customer base.”
According to Makolo, the agreement followed RwandAir’s recently launched codeshares with leading airlines such as Qatar Airways, building on the African airline’s excellent on-time performance, customer service and safety on air from its hub at the Kigali International Airport.
He disclosed that Turkish Airlines currently offers daily flights between its home hub in Istanbul and RwandAir’s Kigali base, while RwandAir currently operates 24 destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, as well as the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
