Kigali-Paris in Rwandair's 'real' Business: is the Rwandan airline the best in Africa?
After the decidedly reviewable experience of my outbound flight from Paris to Kigali, fate (which sometimes is not cynical [...]
KGL
France
After the decidedly revisable experience of my outbound flight from Paris to Kigali., fate (which sometimes is not cynical and barbaric) meant that on my flight back to Paris, Rwandair had declined its flagship, the Airbus A330-300. This aircraft, along with one of the two A330-200s operated by the African airline, had been outfitted upon its delivery in November 2016 with one of the best business class cabins on the entire African continent, rightly making Rwandair leap to the attention of the specialized aviation media.
In this article:
- Specifications
- Aircraft:
- A330
- Class:
- Business
- Treat:
- KGL - CDG
- Price:
- Press trip
- Book
In Kigali they had chosen a setup with a 1-2-1 configuration virtually unique at that time in Africa (with the exception of South African Airways) and defending itself well again today. I 30 Thompson Vantage XL (the same ones ITA Airways chose for its A330-900s.) occupy the entire front section (between the first two doors) of the plane.
The Business Class ticket entitles the holder to a dedicated check-in desk in the departure lounge of the Kigali airport, at the fast track at passport control (but not at security checks) and at theaccess to the 'Dream Lounge'. How much Rwandair, for a further leap in category, needs the new airport, possibly in 2026 25km south of the capital, is clear from the appearance of the boarding gates and also the existing lounge.
Reserved for business class passengers of the flag carrier only (as well as Gold and Diamond passengers in the 'Dream Miles' frequent flyer program), the lounge offers free wi-fi and a decent variety of hot food and snacks, but the alcohol offerings do not include wine of any kind. The ambience, despite the colorful armchairs and some paintings on the walls, is definitely cold and bare And the white lights on the ceiling do not help.
Upon boarding the A330-300, things, thankfully, definitely change even if one is left a bit stunned because, While Rwandair's livery is white and blue, green was chosen for the Business Class interior (Of the seats), the brown (Of the headrests, pillows and blankets) and the gray of the carpets and the huge console that comes with the Vantage XL. But if you think about it, green (of the hills) and brown (of the earth) are really the colors of the African country. The gray gives a touch of elegance as well as the mood lighting.
For my return flight, making the Checking in through the company's app, I had chosen the 4H (a window seat on the right side of the cabin) but then, seeing it a little sluggish in the cushion and back padding and taking advantage of the fact that there were only ten of us in Business, I thought I would cross the cabin and take a seat in 4A. Because they are staggered apart, only the seats in the even-numbered rows are really next to the window, while in the odd-numbered rows the wide console is in the way.
On my arrival, On the seat I found a pillow and a brown duvet., while the headphones for the IFE and the vanity kit (in gray plastic, the ugliest I have received from an airline in business class) were distributed after takeoff. The seat's electric controls, individual reading light, power and USB-A sockets, and remote control of the IFE screen functions were all placed on the console, from which the coffee table (which, unlike the very wobbly forward one, was also pulled out firmly). The left armrest (in the case of seat 4A) could be lowered for greater comfort when the seat was put into bed mode.
Rwandair has customized each of its Thompson Vantage XL with a lighted shelf in which I could safely place my phone, a book, my glasses, a water bottle. However, the seat was not provided with additional space to stow personal items, starting with shoes.
Seat controls included one for a pleasant Lumbar massage, the one for Increase or decrease support in that same area of the back, and the one for Increase or decrease the 'tightness' of the cushion and backrest (harder or softer), resulting in a session that we might call personalized.
The entertainment system, the Safran Rave, was of a different type (and of a different generation, I would say) than that of the ex-Avianca aircraft of the outward flight, with the possibility of setting up to six different languages (including English and French) for the video programs and the presence of so-called moving maps (absent on the outward flight) to follow the flight's route and get the technical information (speed, altitude, etc.).
Movies and TV programs were still (as before) only in their original language, without subtitles. Which, fundamentally, reduces the usability of the system by those who do not master English to the point where they can easily follow the dialogue, and consequently the plot.
On flight WB 701 from Kigali to Brussels via Paris, with scheduled takeoff five minutes before midnight, in-flight service went off immediately after the doors closed, performed at midnight split, with the Distribution of a hot towel and a welcome drink.
Nestled among civilian housing on the crest of a hill so that it looks like the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, the Kigali airport is something of a miniature airport, so much so that a much larger one is being built 25 kilometers south of the city. The terminal is small, the aircraft apron is small, and the taxiway follows only half the runway, which, as the city is at an altitude of nearly 1,600 meters above sea level, is inevitably long with its 3,500 meters of asphalt.
Thus, just five minutes after the engines were started, we were already in the air, heading north in the middle of the night. Within half an hour of takeoff, there was a repeat of the Stunned dinner ordering procedure already experienced on the outbound flight from Paris, although in this case there was a wine menu, made moreover only partially useful by the fact that, of the four labels (champagne aside) offered (two whites and two reds), one (a 2016 red Burgundy) was not in the onboard cellar.
In the direction of Paris, the alternative between chicken (with rice) and beef (with potatoes) was enhanced by A third option: pasta with fish. Mystery, as on the outward journey, about the nature of the appetizer and dessert. In the end, I again chose beef, accompanied by a South African cabernet sauvignon, the only red on board.
Something like a tenderloin with potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli next to it came after a small plate of cold veal and peppers, which I would not have taken if I had been given a menu or provided a description of the dish, since I don't like peppers. For dessert, the choice was between a mousse and some kind of creme caramel, but I preferred a mini-portion of cheese, grapes, and cashews that was indeed rather modest.
Refusing the offer of coffee and tea, I devoted myself to IFE (144 movies, 133 TV shows and cartoons, and about sixty music compilations), ending up having a bout of sleep that barely allowed me to stretch 180 degrees across the seat, which seemed particularly long and wide enough to allow me to turn easily on either hip.
The flight attendants must have seen me so deeply asleep that they did not have the courage to wake me up for breakfast. Which the captain did, however, when he announced that it was 35 minutes until landing at Charles De Gaulle. I slept more than five hours on a flight that lasted just over eight, with an hours flown/hours slept ratio that constituted a record for me. Praise, then, for the African company's flagship product.
Pro
- The cabin in impeccable condition
- The configuration of rows 1+2+1
- The impeccable service and with a smile
Against
- Kigali lounge doesn't live up to the on-board product
- The absence of printed menus on board
- The approximate procedure for ordering meals