Rwanda’s new airport in Bugesera District is expected to start operating in 2028, RwandAir CEO Yvonne Manzi Makolo announced during the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha, on May 15.

Construction works were previously scheduled to be completed in 2026. With an estimated $2 billion worth of investment, the airport’s developers say that the facility could potentially help Africa’s aviation industry take off.

The new facility will boast a 130,000-square-meter main terminal building capable of accommodating eight million passengers a year and the figure is expected to rise to over 14 million passengers in the following decades, according to developers.

The new airport situated about 40 kilometers away from Kigali will also see a dedicated cargo terminal, capable of accommodating 150,000 tons of cargo a year.

“Construction is already in progress. We’re about to finalise the horizontal works and move to the vertical. We’re looking [at] between 2027 and 2028 in terms of the airport being operational,” said Makolo.

Kigali will be an alternative regional hub

She noted that the aim is to have Kigali as an alternative regional hub, in addition to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“Addis is already a huge hub but Kigali will be an alternative regional hub, especially given the geographical position of Rwanda right in the heart of Africa, which gives us access to all points [of Africa],” she said.

The airport in Bugesera is being built in partnership with Qatar Airways which has 60 percent ownership and is also expected to acquire 49 percent of shares in the national carrier.

Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer said the Qatar-owned carrier has a model to cover the African continent with a big network across countries, and intends to announce a partnership in Southern Africa, in addition to Rwanda.

“The last piece of the equation is southern Africa,” he said.

“We are at the final stage of an equity investment in an airline in the southern part of Africa. This airline will help us complement the operation of Kigali as a hub.”

While acknowledging the impact of delays manufacturing supply has had on the Bugesera airport project, Al Meer said that they are in constant communication with the suppliers and contractors on the ground to finalise the infrastructure packages.

The contract for the main works will be awarded within two months following the completion of tender process, he added.

Aviation Travel and Logistics (ATL), a government-owned holding company managing aviation-related activities, is overseeing construction works of the new airport.