I was pleasantly surprised on board RwandAir. This national carrier of Rwanda has new fleets with beautiful interior designs, complimentary in-flight WiFi connections, and exceptional service from the crew members. Flights were on time and we didn’t experience any delays on all routes.
Lagos to Kigali:-
This was my first experience and I was stunned. When I booked RwandAir, I opted to fly with them because I found a cheaper deal which included a stop in Kigali City on my return journey. The total cost of my ticket was cheaper than a direct flight from Lagos to Dubai which was my primary destination, so I thought it would be great to make a stop in Kigali and see the City before returning home. This turned out to be one of the best decisions I made on this trip.
Read about my travel experience in Rwanda and everything you need to know before visiting Rwanda.
My flight from Lagos to Kigali was 4:30hrs. The food was great, the service was good and the calming music melody played before take off and after we landed was ecstatic.
My favorite was the RwandAir Jingle and Umpe akanya by Jules Sentore ft Teta Diana.
https://youtu.be/WdAxmOIXR64
I had a 3-hour layover before my connecting flight to Dubai and the wait at Kigali Airport wasn’t any different. Kigali International Airport is very clean and has free WiFi service which is all I require for any layover. 🙂
Kigali to Dubai
Our flight to Dubai was on time and we arrived a few minutes ahead of schedule. The in-flight meal was great (I didn’t lose my taste buds this time) 🙂
We landed Dubai International Airport at Terminal 2, a smaller terminal compared to 1 and 3. This was perfect because it meant less queuing for immigration purpose.
Dubai to Kigali
Our flight from Dubai to Kigali took 5:50hrs and it was right on time.
Arriving Kigali, the visa process was straightforward. I paid $30 for a visa on arrival valid for 30 days.
Kigali to Lagos
Returning home is usually the least exciting part of my journey but this was different. I was exhausted from travelling and was eager to return home. The seat assigned to me was very close to the kitchen which meant more food 🙂 and I was by myself stretched out on 3 seats and I loved it.
I also had this pleasant crew member who seemed interested in feeding me fat keeping me happy so I smiled at him often and the snacks and drinks kept coming in double portions. God bless this brother!!!
Now, before you say I like food, kindly read the author section of my blog and decide if you still want to judge me. 🙂
RwandAir definitely stood out for me. Share your RwandAir Reviews.
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Love it! Did you require yellow card for Kigali immigration?
Thanks. No they didn’t request for it but i had one with me.
my experince with rwandair isn’t a good one.on the 30th of may 2017 i travelled from johannesburg to lagos,of course we had a stop over at kigali,on getting home in lagos i found out dat my checked in luggage was tampered with and $2000 missing.it is a shame it had to happen on my first time travelling with rwandair.
Sorry to hear about your experience.
However, keeping money in your checked in baggage isn’t what i would term “a good decision”.
I prefer to keep my cash close at all times because I’ve heard horrible stories about your kind of experience.
Pls, do I need a transit visa because of the stop over at kigali when travelling from Lagos to Johannesburg using Rwandair.
2. How comfortable is Rwandair flight if one is traveling with a baby.
If your journey will not include a stay in Kigali, no you do not need a visa as you will not exit the airport.
You have read my reviews, you can draw your conclusions from it. I flew economy class and found it comfortable.
Since you are traveling with a child, I advise you check your layover time (i.e duration of time you have to wait in Kigali Airport before your connecting flight to Jo’burg) at Kigali airport so you can plan ahead.
I can also recommend Rwandair anytime. I flew Rwandair last year and it was really impressive. From their crew services,to the meals and the soothing background music. I also had times when the flights weren’t that full(as they were small aircrafts) so I had 3 seats to myself to assume a bed position and enjoy my sleep. My best part of the flight is the take off and landing. It was the smoothest I have ever known. I don’t know if its just the particular pilots or they are all trained that way because I experienced same to and fro Lagos to Kigali,Kigali to Dubai,Dubai to Kigali and Kigali back to Lagos. So am certain this is a special safety training as these were all different pilots. I felt so safe. U hardly know u have even landed. For a first timer with the airline,I must say I was overly impressed and look forward to flying with them again.
I can also recommend Rwandair anytime. I flew Rwandair last year and it was really impressive. From their crew services,to the meals and the soothing background music. I also had times when the flights weren’t that full(as they were small aircrafts) so I had 3 seats to myself to assume a bed position and enjoy my sleep. My best part of the flight is the take off and landing. It was the smoothest I have ever known. I don’t know if its just the particular pilots or they are all trained that way because I experienced same to and fro Lagos to Kigali,Kigali to Dubai,Dubai to Kigali and Kigali back to Lagos. So am certain this is a special safety training as these were all different pilots. I felt so safe. U hardly know u have even landed. For a first timer with the airline,I must say I was overly impressed and look forward to flying with them again.
Awesome. Thanks for sharing your experience on board RwandAir. I had a good experience too.
Hello! I will be using Rwandair for the first time to dubai. I am most concerned about the quality of their in flight entertainment………. do they even have any?
Hello! I will be using Rwandair for the first time to dubai. I am most concerned about the quality of their in flight entertainment………. do they even have any?
I believe they do.
Bad Bad Experience with Rwandair. I travelled on the 14th oct 2017 from JNB(S.A) to MUMBAI via kigali. From Kigali they made an additional stop at ENTEBE Which we were not told about… During my return on the 18th Dec 2017. From Mumbai to kigali… and from Kigali they made another additional stop at LUSAKA which was not scheduled. Then from Lusaka to JNB(S.A). it was a hectic journey. In this return trip my bags got missing. 3rd day today they still cant find my bag… not knly my bag. So many other passenger also opened a case after arrival.. they dont even know where the bags are… i call them twice a day but no positive response. They take forever tp answer…. NEVER GONNA FLY WITH RWANDAIR AGAIN.
Wow! Thanks for sharing.
That was such a terrible experience. In addition to calling, you should also write to them.
I am currently torn between flying kenya airways and Rwandair but after reading this, I think I will give RwandAir a trial.
Though, I have read some missing luggage complaints online, but i will still try them out, plus it’s a direct flight to kigali unlike kenya airways which has stopover.
Yes, RwandAir will take you directly to Kigali. Kenya Airways will stop at Nairobi before connecting Kigali.
please is there an inbuilt screen on every seat on rwand air Boeing 737-800?
As seen in the photos I shared, the carrier we used had inbuilt screens on all seats and it worked perfectly. Thanks.
I flew with Rwandair from Kigali to Mumbai WB500 on 6th July and the flight was shown as direct without a stoppage with flight duration of 7hours but the flight was routed through Entebbe which was told at last minute although for refueling only but refueling only after half an hour flight was not understood. The stoppage at Entebbe took almost two hrs and the flight was two hrs late and reached at 1300h on 7th July instead of 1100h.
I missdmby connecting flight to Delhi and had to spend 6000/- rupees for the flight.
It was highly unprofessional and unounctunp of an international airline.
My first and probably last experience with Rwandair was pathetic.
Sounds like there was an issue with the aircraft. Sorry, you had to go through that.
I usually allow enough time before my connecting flight to take care of any delays.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience,I’m scheduled to travel via RwandAir next week and I’m glad you shared an eye opener ,and I also interned at CLP too 😁
Great! Safe skies and enjoy your trip.
My Fiance has a 3 bags lugguage missing from dubai to entebbe but had stopovers in kigali then nairobi.Are they hopes of getting them?.
Have you contacted the airline? You should contact them with your inquiries. Thank you.
hi.I will be flying Rwanda Air first time from Mumbai to Accra. We are Hindu. Is the inflight meal has option for any community ? I m worried about inflight services and service at Kigali airpirt after seeing hohrrible reviews on trip advisor.
Hello. You may need to email the airline with your specific request. My views represent my own personal experience at the date of travel.
Hello i will be traveling from Abuja Nigeria to Dubai on 5th April 2020-19th April 2020.i have Booked my flight already, and am traveling with my children,but the negative reviews am seeing about rwandair send shivers down my spine..how true is the allegation about:missing luggage??discomfort in aircraft???bland food???not children friendly???
Hello. My reviews are independent and based on my own personal experience. I haven’t flown with them since 2017 and therefore cannot confirm the current state of their services.
Kwaise. Please did you eventually fly with Rwanda airways? Planning on flying this December and need to confirm options. Thank you.