RwandAir signed an agreement with the world’s largest aircraft lessor which will see the national carrier receive two Boeing 737-500s in May and July this year. The initial agreement signed by Mr. Ryan Barrett, Vice President GE Capital (GECAS) and Mr. John Mirenge, Chairman & Acting CEO RwandAir paves way for a long term engagement between the two organizations in the areas of aircraft leasing, maintenance, training and human capacity development.

Speaking after the signing, RwandAir Chairman & Acting CEO Mr. Mirenge underlined the need of the national carrier to have a strong passenger revenue driven network with the right aircraft to serve the airline’s expansion plans. The two Boeing 737-500 are expected to be deployed on routes with heavy passenger and cargo demand like Johannesburg while also serving intended RwandAir destinations like Kinshasa.

“GECAS has a keen interest in making this partnership work and in the near future we will see our organization involved in a number of projects at national level in Rwanda”, said Mr. Barrett, GE Capital Vice President.

GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) is a fully owned subsidiary of General Electric which is the world’s renowned jet engines manufacturer. GECAS is a leading global player in commercial aircraft leasing and financing, with over 1,800 owned and managed aircraft, 23 offices, and more than 245 customers in over 75 countries. Its long-term commitment to the aviation industry extends to the development of necessary infrastructure to foster and ensure continued growth and extends further to jet engine financing and aircraft parts solutions.