{"id":120570,"date":"2026-02-25T15:45:04","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T15:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/gisenyi-airstrip-re-opening-expected-to-boost-tourism-trade"},"modified":"2026-02-25T16:37:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:37:50","slug":"gisenyi-airstrip-re-opening-expected-to-boost-tourism-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/economy\/gisenyi-airstrip-re-opening-expected-to-boost-tourism-trade","title":{"rendered":"Gisenyi airstrip re-opening expected to boost tourism, trade"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Preparations for the re-opening of Gisenyi Airstrip in Rubavu District have entered their final stage, local authorities have confirmed, raising expectations that air services to the lakeside town could resume soon.<\/p>\n<p>Rubavu Mayor Prosper Mulindwa said rehabilitation works aimed at restoring the long-inactive airstrip have been ongoing since 2025 and are now nearing completion.<\/p>\n<p>The works include runway markings, perimeter fencing and the installation of aircraft guidance equipment to ensure safe aircraft movement, approach and landing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had initially expected the airstrip to be operational by December 2025,\u201d Mulindwa said in an exclusive interview with The New Times. \u201cPreparations for the re-opening began in 2025, focusing on upgrading key infrastructure to meet safety and operational standards.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He noted that while most of the physical works are almost complete, authorities are also finalising non-physical requirements, including revising air routes and processing legal and regulatory documentation in collaboration with relevant institutions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese processes are progressing smoothly, and so far there are no major challenges that could hinder the re-opening,\u201d Mulindwa said.<\/p>\n<p>The mayor expressed optimism that the re-opening of the airstrip will help boost tourism and economic activity in Rubavu District, which is one of Rwanda\u2019s leading leisure and conference destinations due to its location on the shores of Lake Kivu.<\/p>\n<p>He explained that some tourists and business travellers prefer air transport to save time, especially those with tight schedules who find road travel from Kigali to Rubavu relatively long.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce the airstrip re-opens, we expect an increase in visitor numbers, particularly among tourists who prefer air travel over road transport,\u201d Mulindwa said.<\/p>\n<p>The re-opening of the facility has previously faced delays, largely due to insecurity in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, given Rubavu\u2019s proximity to Goma.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe insecurity in the neighbouring country was one of the key challenges delaying the re-opening of the airstrip, considering its close proximity to the border,\u201d Mulindwa said, noting that aircraft operating in shared airspace must meet strict safety requirements.<\/p>\n<p>Residents living near the airstrip have welcomed the development, expressing hope that it will stimulate local growth and improve livelihoods.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have learned about the re-opening and expansion project, and this is good news for us and our neighbours,\u201d said Ishimwe Emerance, a resident.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany people will benefit, especially through increased business opportunities, rising property values and the overall development of the town.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Rwanda<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Rwanda. Preparations for the re-opening of Gisenyi Airstrip in Rubavu District have entered their final stage, local authorities have confirmed, raising expectations that air services to the lakeside town could resume soon. Rubavu Mayor Prosper Mulindwa said rehabilitation works aimed at restoring the long-inactive airstrip have been ongoing since 2025 and are now [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":120569,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,15],"tags":[843,758,522,725],"class_list":["post-120570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-rubavu","tag-rwanda","tag-tourism","tag-trade"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Gisenyi airstrip re-opening expected to boost tourism, trade - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Preparations for the re-opening of Gisenyi Airstrip in Rubavu District have entered their final stage, local authorities ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/economy\/gisenyi-airstrip-re-opening-expected-to-boost-tourism-trade\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gisenyi airstrip re-opening expected to boost tourism, trade\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Preparations for the re-opening of Gisenyi Airstrip in Rubavu District have entered their final stage, local authorities ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/economy\/gisenyi-airstrip-re-opening-expected-to-boost-tourism-trade\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-25T15:45:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-25T16:37:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1772024810.548028.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"562\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/economy\/gisenyi-airstrip-re-opening-expected-to-boost-tourism-trade#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/economy\/gisenyi-airstrip-re-opening-expected-to-boost-tourism-trade\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Gisenyi airstrip re-opening expected to boost tourism, trade\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-25T15:45:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-25T16:37:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/economy\/gisenyi-airstrip-re-opening-expected-to-boost-tourism-trade\"},\"wordCount\":407,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/economy\/gisenyi-airstrip-re-opening-expected-to-boost-tourism-trade#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1772024810.548028.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Rubavu\",\"Rwanda\",\"tourism\",\"trade\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/economy\/gisenyi-airstrip-re-opening-expected-to-boost-tourism-trade#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/economy\/gisenyi-airstrip-re-opening-expected-to-boost-tourism-trade\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/economy\/gisenyi-airstrip-re-opening-expected-to-boost-tourism-trade\",\"name\":\"Gisenyi airstrip re-opening expected to boost tourism, trade - 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