President Paul Kagame has called his Burundian counterpart Pierre Nkurunziza asking him to allow RwandAir planes make emergency landing at Bujumbura after Kigali Airport flooded.
According to officials in Bujumbura, Kagame made the call on April 30, 2018, prompting Nkurunziza to instruct aviation authorities in Bujumbura to open the airport for RwandAir aircrafts which spent the whole night parked.
The fleet left Bujumbura International Airport on May 1, 2018.
Heavy rains pounded both Rwanda and Burundi, but the Director-General of Burundi’s civil aviation says, Bujumbura International Airport is sufficiently protected against bad weather with an extensive drainage system protecting the airport from floods observed throughout the year.
Rwanda and Burundi have had fragile diplomatic relations over the years with both governments accusing each other of espionage.
The new development is seen as a move by Kagame to restore good working relations with Burundi.
