By Dolapo Aina
On Tuesday. October 3, 2021 in Doha, Qatar, Qatar Airways and RwandAir signed an important agreement which is a game changer in the aviation industry. Both national airlines signed a comprehensive codeshare agreement to offer travellers more choices, enhanced services and greater connectivity to more than 65 destinations across Africa and the rest of the world. As part of the deal, RwandAir would also launch new non-stop flights between Kigali hub and Doha commencing from December 2021.
The Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir Ms Yvonne Makolo stated during the signing ceremony that; “This is a major milestone for RwandAir and marks the beginning of an exciting new journey with Qatar Airways. We are also immensely proud to welcome Doha to our route network, connecting customers with Qatar’s hub and further expanding their flight map. This codeshare agreement will give our customers significantly more choice and flexibility, allowing RwandAir to strengthen its global presence and build on its strong and loyal African customer base. As we continue to grow out of the pandemic, this partnership represents yet another extremely important step on our recovery runway, and we hope to deliver more commitments like this to our customers in the very near future.”
The Group Chief Executive of Qatar Airways, Mr. Akbar Al Baker, stated during the signing ceremony that; “We share a very close and collaborative bond with Rwanda and welcome RwandAir’s new non-stop service between Kigali and our home in Doha. With this comprehensive codeshare agreement, we are committed to deliver greater choice and connectivity to our customers in Africa and around the world. The new partnership will help position Qatar Airways in the region and complement our African expansion strategy. As we brace ourselves to meet significantly increased demand for long-awaited travel, I see dynamic partnerships like this one helping to steer travel, tourism and trade firmly on the path to recovery.”
Furthermore, it is noteworthy to state that the codeshare agreement also increases Qatar Airways’ footprint in Africa, with access to destinations such as Bujumbura in Burundi, Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Lubumbashi still in Eastern DRC.
The RwandAir and Qatar Airways partnership would offer travel routes to European cities, like London in the United Kingdom, Zurich in Switzerland and Madrid in Spain, and points across Asia, such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Bangkok in Thailand.
Both airlines also stated and affirmed that the agreement benefits travellers from across the globe who fly with both RwandAir and Qatar Airways, which expands each carrier’s route network(s). Passengers can enjoy the simplicity of purchasing connecting flights on both airlines using one seamless reservation system, that simplifies ticketing, check-in, boarding and baggage-check processes for the entire journey.
Official statements by both airlines revealed that customers of both airlines will benefit from convenient access to more than sixty-five global codeshare destinations. Noteworthy to state that both airlines recently announced a loyalty partnership, giving RwandAir Dream Miles and Qatar Airways Privilege Club loyalty members access to each other’s destinations.
I reached out to some aviation players and experts on the African Continent to simplify the concept of codeshare agreement in the aviation industry.
An aviation official informed me that; “Codeshare is when you are able to fly on one airline with another airline’s ticket. Hence both airlines have an agreement to airlift each other’s passengers on specific routes.
“Another East African aviation official informed me that; “Actually, airlines under code share agreement allow passengers to combine both airlines’ routes under one ticket at attractive fares.
“A former country manager of an airline informed me that; “Codeshare is an arrangement between two partner airlines to sell tickets operated by one carrier and markets the carrier while the other operates the flight.
“Yet another aviation official informed me that “Codeshare means you can issue ticket for each other on either platform. Tickets can be combined. It also depends on class of ticket approved by either party in the agreement.
“Whilst the publisher of a well-read online aviation and tourism platform on the African Continent, informed me that; “It means one airline operates a flight while another can put their own flight number on that service and sell seats almost as if they operate themselves.”
An African pilot informed me that “A simple example would be; you buy a RwandAir ticket but the flight is operated by a Qatar Airways aircraft. So, you carry passengers with another airline’s designator code and vice versa.”
