Currently, RwandAir is still a small airline serving 26 destinations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Nonetheless, RwandAir could eventually become the next Singapore Airlines. As a matter of fact, Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, wants to turn the country of Rwanda into “the Singapore of Africa.”
Let’s take a look at Singapore Airlines and RwandAir.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines was founded in 1947 and offered three weekly flights in the beginning. Nowadays, Singapore Airlines is the flag carrier of Singapore and considered one of the best airlines in the world. The airline operates a fleet of 122 aircraft and serves 64 destinations around the globe.
Singapore went from being a third-world country to being a first-world country in about 60 years. As a matter of fact, the country’s GDP rose from $700 million in the 1960s to $320 billion today. At this point, Singapore is the third-richest country in the world.
According to Wendover Publications, there are several reasons for this growth. First of all, Singapore is centrally located. Secondly, it is politically stable. Thirdly, it is easy to do business in Singapore.
Singapore’s central location is a great asset; however, it is only this valuable because the country has an airline that connects it with the rest of the world. Without Singapore Airlines, Singapore would have not been able to become the business hub we know today. As Singapore’s economy grew, so did Singapore Airlines
RwandAir
RwandAir is the flag carrier of Rwanda. The airline was founded in 2002 after Air Rwanda ceased operations. As mentioned above, the airline currently serves 26 destinations and operates 12 aircraft.
Just like Singapore, Rwanda is in a central location. As a matter of fact, the country is located close to the center of Africa. Additionally, it is easy to do business in Rwanda. It is the country with the most business-friendly environment in Africa. Rwanda is trying to attract foreign business investors and has been very successful in doing so in recent years. Accordingly, there are definitely similarities between the two countries
Could RwandAir experience the same growth as Singapore Airlines did?
As Rwanda’s economy grows it will be more and more important for the country to have an airline that connects it with Africa and the rest of the world. RwandAir has already expanded its route network and added larger aircraft. Nonetheless, the airline is currently considering adding flights to China and New York at some point. And this is just the beginning.
All in all, it seems that there is a good possibility that the airline will experience even more growth as Rwanda is trying to become the “Singapore of Africa.”
What do you think? Could RwandAir become the next Singapore Airlines?
The Express News
