There are 3 airlines based in Kigali: Akagera Aviation, a Rwandan heli-company; Tempus Jet, an American airline providing charter flights and Nexus Aero, a Saudi VIP airline.
Airlines Destinations
Brussels Airlines Brussels1
Coastal Aviation Charter: Arusha
Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa, Bujumbura
Kenya Airways Bujumbura, Nairobi – Jomo Kenyatta
KLM Amsterdam2
Qatar Airways Doha3
RwandAir, Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Brazzaville, Brussels, Bujumbura, Cape Town (begins 16 May 2018), Cotonou, Cyangugu, Dar es Salaam, Douala, Dubai–International, Entebbe, Harare, Johannesburg–O.R. Tambo, Juba, Kilimanjaro, Lagos, Libreville, London–Gatwick, Lusaka, Mombasa, Mumbai, Nairobi– Jomo Kenyatta,
Turkish Airlines Istanbul–Atatürk4
Notes
1: Some of Brussels Airlines’ inbound flights to Kigali are non stop, while others stop in Bujumbura, and some outbound flights are nonstop, while others stop in Entebbe. The airline does not have traffic rights to transport passengers solely between Kigali and Entebbe or Bujumbura.
2: Some of KLM’s inbound flights from Amsterdam to Kigali make a stop in Kilimanjaro and some outbound flights from Kigali to Amsterdam stop in Entebbe. However, the airline does not have traffic rights to transport passengers solely between Kigali and Kilimanjaro or Entebbe.
3: Qatar Airways’ flights from Doha to Kigali make a stop in Entebbe. However, the airline does not have traffic rights to transport passengers solely between Entebbe and Kigali.
4: Turkish Airlines’ outbound flights from Kigali to Istanbul make a stop in Entebbe. However, the airline does not have traffic rights to transport passengers solely between Kigali and Entebbe.
Cargo
Airlines Destinations
Astral Aviation Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
Ethiopian Airlines Cargo Addis Ababa, Brazzaville, Bujumbura
Kenya Airways Cargo Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
Air Atlanta Icelandic Cargo Belgium Liege, Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta
Incidents and accidents
6 April 1994 – A Falcon 50 owned by and carrying then-president of Rwanda Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down while approaching the airport, killing all 12 aboard including Habyarimana and then-president of Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira, who were returning from a meeting to end the Rwandan civil war. Ironically the wreckage landed in front of the presidential palace. The attack was blamed on Tutsi rebels, and, as a result, within one hour of the crash Interahamwe, militias began the Rwandan Genocide. There is no consensus on who actually shot down or ordered the attack on the plane.
1 June 2004 – An Antonov 32 owned by Sun Air (9XR-SN), reportedly suffered some problems with the left main undercarriage after takeoff from Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The airplane was headed for Goma but diverted to Kigali for an emergency landing. The aircraft crashed on landing, causing the Russian pilots and Congolese passengers to sustain serious injuries. The An-32 involved in the accident had been detained in Goma mid-July 2003 because it carried a shipment of armaments destined for a Rwanda-backed militia in the Congolese Kasai region.
12 November 2009, Rwanda Air Flight 205, a Bombardier CRJ-100 crashed into a VIP terminal shortly after an emergency landing; out of the 10 passengers and 5 crews, 1 passenger died.