RwandAir has announced that it will terminate its scheduled flights into Cape Town.
The airline says it will suspend all scheduled flights to and from Cape Town from 27 October 2024.
RWANDAIR CAPE TOWN FLIGHTS
According to IOL, this route was launched in 2018. The Cape Town service is offered as a tag-on flight to RwandAir’s Kigali – Harare service.
The routing is operated with a Boeing 737 aircraft.
RwandAir was granted Fifth Freedom rights to operate flights between Harare and Cape Town. This flight therefore connects three countries: Rwanda, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
In fact, the suspension of the service means reduced connectivity for travellers between three locations : Kigali, Harare and Cape Town.
However, Airlink will still offer direct flights between Cape Town and Harare.
KIGALI – HARARE ROUTE UNAFFECTED
However, RwandAir’s scheduled flights between Kigali and Harare will not be affected. These services will continue as normal from 27 October.
RwandAir was indeed the first airline to introduce a direct flight between the Zimbabwean capital and Cape Town. The route was operated four times a week, all year round.
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JOHANNESBURG FLIGHTS
RwandAir will continue to operate services between Kigali and Johannesburg as scheduled.
These are operated both directly or as tag-on flights via Lusaka in Zambia, depending on the day of the week.
RWANDAIR AXES CAPE TOWN ROUTE
While the airline has yet to give reasons for the suspension, it is believed that the route was not economically sustainable for RwandAir.
That said, it is indeed a wise move for the airline to scrap the route if passenger numbers do not enable RwandAir to generate profit through the service.
The airline says that affected passengers all affected passenger should contact their travel agents or the airline itself for rebooking options.