KGLHRYR

Kigali International Airport

Kigali, Rwanda · Africa

Africa Africa/Kigali IVCA 42.9

26direct destinations

11airlines

1runway

3,500 mLongest runway

1928opened

Kigali International Airport (IATA: KGL, ICAO: HRYR), formerly known as Kanombe International Airport, is the primary international airport serving Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. There are 4 airlines based at Kigali Airport: RwandAir, the flag carrier airline of Rwanda; Akagera Aviation, a Rwandan helicopter airline; Tempus Jet, an American airline providing charter flights; and Nexus Aero, a Saudi VIP airline.

Location

1.969°S, 30.140°E · 1.481 m s. n. m. (4.859 ft)

General data

CountryRwanda

CityKigali

IATA codeKGL

ICAO codeHRYR

Coordinates1.969°S, 30.140°E

Elevation1.481 m s. n. m. (4.859 ft)

Time zoneAfrica/Kigali

Runways1

Longest runway3,500 m

OperatorRwanda Civil Aviation Authority

Opened1928

Direct destinations26

Official website Its quality in the IVCA Ranking

Runways · 1

10/28

Length3,500 m11,483 ft

Width45 m148 ft

SurfaceAsphalt

Lighted✓

Lengths and surfaces from the public OurAirports register; open runways only.

Radio frequencies · 4

Tower

118.300

Ground

121.700

ATIS (automatic information)

128.700

Approach

124.300

Look for a live feed on LiveATC External site; not every airport has a feed.

Reference frequencies for enthusiasts, from OurAirports (community database, public domain), checked on Oct 16, 2026. They may be outdated or incomplete and do not replace the AIP or current charts: not for navigation. In Europe the published frequency may be an 8.33 kHz channel (e.g., 118.505 for 118.500). In MHz.

History

The airport dates back to the Belgian colonial administration of Ruanda-Urundi. According to Rwandan historian Bernardin Muzungu, the first aircraft landed at Kanombe airport in Kigali in 1934. After Rwanda's independence in 1962, the airport was upgraded and renamed Grégoire Kayibanda International Airport, after Rwanda's first president. It is also commonly referred to as Kanombe Airport, after its location in the Kanombe area of eastern Kigali.

During the Rwandan Civil War, the airport was a strategic site because of its role as Rwanda's main international airport and its proximity to the Kanombe military camp and the then presidential residence. On 6 April 1994, the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down while on final approach to runway 28 at the airport, killing all 12 people on board. The assassination triggered a renewed outbreak of the civil war and the beginning of the genocide against the Tutsi.

After the genocide, the airport continued to operate as Rwanda's principal international airport and was renamed Kigali International Airport. It is the hub for RwandAir.

Between 2014 and 2017, over US$30 million was invested in upgrades, including a new apron, three taxiways, a hangar, and an upgrade of airfield lighting. A further phase of expansion began in September 2019 in preparation for the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, including a new 53,000 m² apron with capacity for 18 aircraft, an arrivals terminal, runway strip grading, and a 3.3 km service road.

Airlines operating here · 11

Other airlines with direct routes

RwandAir Auric Air Brussels Airlines Coastal Aviation EgyptAir Ethiopian Airlines Kenya Airways KLM Qatar Airways SalamAir Turkish Airlines

Airlines with current passenger routes from here, according to Wikipedia route tables cross-checked from both ends (October 2026).

Photo: SteveRwanda · CC BY-SA 3.0 · view original

Data from OurAirports (public domain) · destinations and airlines from Wikipedia route tables (CC BY-SA, 2026), unless another source is given · profile and photo from Wikidata/Wikimedia Commons (CC0 / CC) · summary and history from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

See all airports Search “Kigali”

Cite

To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.

This page was last updated on October 15, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 15). Kigali International Airport (KGL). Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/KGL

MLA

“Kigali International Airport (KGL).” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/airport/KGL. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Kigali International Airport (KGL).” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/KGL.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Kigali International Airport (KGL). Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/KGL (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_airport_kgl,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Kigali International Airport (KGL)}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-15},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/KGL},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/KGL}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/KGL |title=Kigali International Airport (KGL) |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}