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Kigali International Airport (IATA: KGL, ICAO: HRYR), formerly known as Gregoire Kayibanda International Airport, is the primary airport serving Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. It is the main air gateway for all destinations in the country, and in addition serves as a transit airport for Goma and Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The airport is located in the suburb of Kanombe, at the eastern edge of Kigali, approximately 12 kilometres (7.2 mi) from the city centre.

In 2004, the airport served 135,189 passengers.

Airlines and destinations

• Air Burundi (Bujumbura, Entebbe)
• Air Tanzania (Bujumbura, Dar Es Salaam) [flights due to resume in 2008]^[1]
• Brussels Airlines (Brussels, Entebbe, Nairobi) ^[2]
• Coastal Aviation (Arusha/Kilimandjaro, Grumeti, Kogatende, Manyara, Mwanza, Seronera) [charter flights]
• Eagle Air (Entebbe) [charter flights]
• Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa, Entebbe, Bujumbura)
• Jetlink Express (Nairobi) [begins 2008 pending government approval]^[3]
• Kenya Airways (Bujumbura, Nairobi)
• Rwandair Express (Bujumbura, Cyangugu, Entebbe, Gisenyi [planned], Johannesburg, Kilimanjaro, Nairobi)

Cargo

• Kenya Airways Cargo (Nairobi)
• Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa, Entebbe, Lagos)
• Martinair Cargo (Amsterdam, Nairobi) [operates flights in paternership with KLM Cargo]
• Silverback Cargo Freighters (Addis Ababa, Bujumbura, Dubai, Jeddah, Johannesburg)

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 Rwanda's 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 interhamwe militias had begun the Rwandan Genocide. It is not known 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 (Congo Democratic Republic). The airplane was headed for Goma, Congo, 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.

Gallery

• 
  The old terminal, now used for VIP departures/arrivals
• 
  Inside the passenger terminal
• 
  The departures lounge

References

[1] Air Tanzania to launch 7 destinations

[2] Africa timetable Brussels Airlines during summer 08

[3] Kenya: Jetlink Adds Two More Planes to Its Fleet

External links

• Information on the airport from WINNE
• The A-Z World Airports page on Kigali International
• An interview with John Nkongoli, Managing Director of Rwanda Airports Authority