In a year during which majority of the continent’s national airlines lay financially belly-up, RwandAir had reason to celebrate when it became the first East African airline to acquire the Airbus 330 aircraft.

Rwanda’s national carrier signed a purchase agreement for two Airbus aircraft – an A330-200 and a larger A330-300 – on September 8.
“Aircraft deliveries will begin in the second half of 2016, enabling the country’s carrier to deploy its new flagship aircraft on medium and long-haul routes serving destinations in Europe, the Middle East and Asia,” RwandAir said in a statement.

The two aircraft, which are set to arrive in Kigali in September 2016, will feature a three class cabin layout: the A330-200 will have 244 seats (20 business class, 21 premium and 223 economy class) and the A330-300 will have 274 seats (30 business class, 21 premium and 223 economy class), the RwandAir statement said.