The $2b Rwandan airport that could help African aviation take off

Some 40 kilometers south of the Rwandan capital of Kigali in the Bugesera District, construction vehicles and high-visibility vests swarm across an arid expanse of land. Here, two strips of tarmac are the cornerstone of a $2b airport, whose developers want it to be the jewel in the crown of Africa’s aviation industry. Slated for completion in 2026, the new facility will boast a 130,000-square-meter main terminal building capable of accommodating 8m passengers a year, a figure expected to rise to over 14m in the following decades. Adjacent will be a dedicated cargo terminal, capable of accommodating 150,000 tons of cargo a year. It’s a significant upgrade on the existing Kigali International Airport, which is set to remain operational for special arrivals, some chartered flights, and a pilot training school. Pre-pandemic, the airport was shuttling close to 1m passengers annually, but its geographic limitations – perched on top of a small hill and surrounded by human settlements – meant a move was necessary to allow expansion.<br/>