Burundi Will Also Launch Airline, In 2021

Burundi will relaunch a state-owned airline next year, more than a decade after the failure of its erstwhile carrier, Air Burundi.

At its peak, Air Burundi operated scheduled regional passenger services to Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda with its main base at Bujumbura International Airport, and headquarters in Bujumbura.

In the new initiative, the state will hold a 92% stake in Burundi Airlines, which will be the latest carrier to enter East African skies after the introduction of Uganda Airlines and the revamping of Air Tanzania Co. A Belgian company will take a 4% stake and the rest will belong to state-owned insurer Societe d’Assurances du Burundi, or Socabu, according to a cabinet statement.

The airline will be formed through the merger of Sobugea, an agency that runs the country’s airports, and Air Burundi, which has not operated a plane since 2009.