Air Rwanda
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| Founded | 15 July 1975 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 1996 | ||||||
| Hubs | Kigali International Airport | ||||||
| Headquarters | Kigali, Rwanda | ||||||
Société Nationale des Transports Aériens du Rwanda, or Air Rwanda as the airline was commonly known, was the national airline of Rwanda, with its base at Kigali International Airport in Kigali. The airline operated for 21 years and had to tone down its operations during the Rwandan genocide. In 1996 the airline was re branded and renamed to Rwanda Air which finally led to the formation of RwandAir in 2002.
Air Rwanda founded by the government of Rwanda on 15 July 1975 as the national airline of Rwanda. The airline began operations on domestic flights and to neighbouring nations, with a network including flights from Kigali to Gisenyi, Kamembe, Bujumbura and Ostend. Other services were also operated to Tanzania, Uganda and Zaire, along with a scheduled cargo flight from Bujumbura to Mombasa in Kenya. A fleet comprising one Boeing 707, two de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters and one Piper Aztec was operated on these routes. The airline would also occasionally lease a Britten-Norman Islander for operations from the Rwandan Air Force.
The airline was implicated in a mooted deal with Libya, under which the Libyans would paint Boeing aircraft belonging to Libyan Arab Airlines in Air Rwanda livery. The purpose of the deal was to allow the Libyans to skirt an embargo and to gain access to spare parts for the aircraft. The possible deal came to light when the United States gained photos of some Libyan aircraft being repainted in Air Rwanda livery, after which the Rwandans cancelled talks with the Libyans.
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