As smaller, more fuel-efficient aircraft Fifth Freedom routes less prevalent, many carriers have cutback on them. But RwandAir recently started an interesting new Fifth Freedom route.
What is a Fifth Freedom Route?
Fifth Freedom is the right for an airline to fly between two foreign countries during flights in which the flight originates or ends in one’s own country. For example, Emirates flies from New York (JFK) to Milan (MXP) to Dubai (DXB). The JFK-MXP sector is a Fifth Freedom flight.
For a primer on the five freedoms, this video is very hepful:
Historically, Fifth Freedom flights have maximized aircraft utilization and allowed for service that would have been otherwise unsustainable from the airlines’ home base.
RwandAir’s Mumbai – Guangzhou Service
Earlier this year, RwandAir, the flag carrier of Rwanda, began a Fifth Freedom route between Mumbai (BOM) and Guangzhou (CAN), a continuation of its flight from Kigali (KGL) to BOM.
Flights to CAN operate three times per week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays) using Airbus A330-200
I stumbled upon the route by accident this week. An Award Expert client needed to travel from Guangzhou to Mumbai and it turns out that RwandAir is the only operator of nonstop service between the two cities. I found that a bit surprising since Guangzhou is China’s third largest city and Mumbai is India’s largest.
The flight operates according to following schedule:
WB500 dep BOM 12:50PM – arr CAN 9:40PM
WB501 dep CAN 11:30PM – arr BOM 03:20AM+1
Tickets run about $1100 round-trip or $800 each way in business class or $455 r/t or $343 one-way. Flight time is six hours eastbound and six hours, 40 minutes westbound.
RwandAir has lie-flat seats in business class similar to what you’ll find on SAS.
CONCLUSION
I love exotic new Fifth Freedom routes. That said, I am surprised that RwandAir has no competition on this route. With Sino-Indian relations warming (somewhat), air links between the two nations may increase even further.
image: Pedro Aragão / CC 3.0
“I found that a bit surprising since Guangzhou is China’s third largest city and Mumbai is India’s largest.”
Your last paragraph actually explains exactly why. India and China aren’t exactly BFFs. Maybe that changes but I remain skeptical.
It’s all manufactured especially with the current despotic Indian PM. He takes every opportunity to suck up to Xi.
Also despots love other despots
Rwandair is targetting this route for African clients with its feeder flights to West, East, and South Africa from Kigali Hub. Since they can not fill seats to Guanzhou directly, they opt to stop at Mumbai. 5th freefom I do not think there are a lot of people taking flight to/from Mumbai and Guanzhou alone.
I have for years wondered why there are no direct flights between India and Indonesia. Indonesia is loaded with Indians and I would assume there to be tourist traffic as well.
@Ron – Air India used to fly to Jakarta for many years via Singapore using A310s.
My wife and I flew this route in July. Plane was full on both “legs”. We chose to fly it because of the good price and the convenience of landing in Guangzhou instead of Hong Kong.
We flew from Cape Town to Kigali, and then on to the East. Returned that way too.
I would do so again
Full of praise for RwandAir.
Please introduce a direct flight Harare to Durban, even if only in the school holidays. December – January
April – May
August – September