UBIMET has analyzed the weather conditions for Rwanda’s brand new airport. Bugesera International Airport will be located 25 km south-east of Rwanda’s capital Kigali. The Rwanda Meteorological Agency provided historical weather data that were taken into consideration in the UBIMET analysis. This is the first cooperation in the partnership with Airport Consulting Vienna, the Austrian consultancy company in charge of the Bugesera Airport Master Plan.
UBIMET CEO Michael Fassnauer says: “Weather matters in the airport planning process, in determining the ideal location, construction method and materials. Above all, wind, precipitation, and temperature statistics must be taken into consideration to find the perfect location and direction for runways. Humidity, sunshine duration and radiation also play a significant role in determining the appropriate air-conditioning set-up for airport buildings. We are delighted and proud to help shape the new international airport of Rwanda.”
In the last two consecutive years, Kigali International Airport was ranked twice among Africa’s top ten airports based on passenger survey. However, now that the existing international airport is already operating at maximum capacity, construction of Bugesera International Airport, which is destined to become Rwanda’s largest international airport, serving commercial flights to and from the greater Kigali metropolitan area, is scheduled to start in June 2017. Upon completion of the first stage in December 2018, another expansion is foreseen boosting airport capacity to 4.5 million passengers per year.
