Kampala — KLM has started operating direct flights from Amsterdam to Kigali. "Arrangements are in advance stages to make a maiden flight from Kigali International Airport to Amsterdam Schipol Airport.

"The flights with, an intermediate stopover in Entebbe, will be operated five times weekly with Airbus330," Lukia Otema, the sales manager, said in a statement.

She said the Kigali- Amsterdam route will offer a direct service within the Air France-KLM network. "The new flights, in combination with the code-sharing services offered by KLM and Kenya Airways, will strengthen Air France-KLM's presence on the African continent."

The flight will depart from Kigali to Amsterdam Airport on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving in Amsterdam the following day, Otema noted.

Otema explained that KLM's decision to make Kigali its 64th intercontinental destination was prompted by Rwanda's rapidly growing economy and the growing demand for passenger services to and from Kigali.

KLM transported 23.5 million passengers and 605,000 tonnes of cargo in the 2008-2009 business year, Otema added.

In Eastern Africa, KLM operates flights to Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya.