KQ reschedules night flights to Rwanda over runway repairs

National carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) has rescheduled its night flights to neighbouring Rwanda following the closure of Kigali International Airport’s runway for repairs - a move that is expected to last two months.

KQ’s flights to Kigali will now depart Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 12.25 a.m. (local time) and arrive at 12:50 a.m. (Rwanda time).

Prior to the change, the one hour twenty five minutes flight used to depart Nairobi at 11:20 p.m. (local time) and fly directly to Kigali and arrived at 12:45 a.m. (Rwanda time), having adjusted for time difference between the two cities.

This flight, KQ478, will from on Friday depart from Kigali at 1.40 am (Rwanda time), arrive in Entebbe at 3.30 a.m. (Uganda time) and then leave for Nairobi at 4.45 a.m. (local time) and arrive at JKIA at six o’clock in the morning.

“The airline’s two day flights to Kigali will remain on schedule,” Kenya Airways said in a statement.

“Passengers who had already booked to travel on the affected days will be rebooked on the new schedule and notified by the customer relations team.”

Rwanda’s airport authorities recently announced that the country’s main runway will be closed daily, with effect from February 2 to March 31, for five hours beginning 2 a.m.

Prior to the adjustment, KQ flights to Kigali were direct.

Now, they will be flying through Entebbe, Uganda, to connect more passengers who are flying to Rwanda and also ensure that the return flight gets to Nairobi early in the morning.

KQ478 used to fly to Bujumbura, Burundi, after arriving in Rwanda at 12:45 a.m. but the airline cancelled the late night flight to the troubled country.

This has necessitated Kenya Airways to reroute the flight through Uganda in order to maximise passenger numbers on the trip.

“The airline continues to operate two day flights to Bujumbura, Burundi, as its evening flight remains suspended due to security concerns,” said KQ.