Umurundi Airlines
16th in a Series: A Fictional Burundian Airline
Umurundi Airlines is a privately owned airline headquartered on the grounds of Melchior Ndadaye International Airport (BJM) in Bujumbura, Burundi.
The airline was founded in 2012 by Alain Niyonkuru and Ben Bronkhorst and launched in 2014. From its base at Bujumbura-BJM, Umurundi Airlines has evolved to become one of the most important carriers in central and eastern Africa, utilizing an all-Airbus fleet to connect to over two dozen other countries across Africa. The carrier also provides nonstop and 5th Freedom direct air service to select intercontinental destinations in Asia, Europe and North America. The airline has codesharing agreements extant with several airlines beyond Africa, including Al-Jabir Airlines (Dubai), Modi Air (India), and Aviage Airlines (France) among others.
History
Pre-Founding Days
Umurundi Airlines (official name: Société Umurundi Airlines SAS) was established on 2 July 2012 by Alain Niyonkuru (b 1980 Bujumbura, Burundi) and Wikus “Ben” Bronkhorst (b 1980 Johannesburg, South Africa). Both men came from families that made their fortune in the banking trades.
Messrs Niyonkuru and Bronkhorst first met in 1998 in Montreal, Canada while attending college in pursuit of business degrees. The two men soon found they shared a strong interest in the airline industry and, while still in college, they began drawing up a detailed business plan to start an Africa-based airline together.
The two young men graduated in 2004 with masters degrees and took up airline related jobs: Mr Niyonkuru began his career with Marseille-MRS based Aviage Airlines, the largest legacy airline in France, while Mr Bronkhorst went to work for the regional airline Atlantic Canada at its Halifax-YHZ home office. In 2008 both men switched to new positions at low cost carriers (LLCs). Mr Bronkhorst landed a junior executive role with RedJet Airlines at its headquarters in Calgary-YYC, Canada, while Mr Niyonkuru took an operations executive position with Nice-NCE based Air Méditerranée.
Throughout this time the two men kept in touch and would meet up regularly in New York to continue perfecting their joint business plan. They originally intended to base their future airline at Johannesburg-JNB in South Africa - Mr Bronkhorst’s hometown - and planned to name it AfricaJet.
Startup
In early 2012, Messrs Niyonkuru and Bronkhorst obtained seed money from the Bronkhorst family and immediately began implementing their business plan. They leased two pre-owned Airbus A318-100 airliners from JetStream Aerospace, a US-Irish aircraft leasing firm. The men were trying to secure offices and hangar space in Johannesburg when the government of Burundi offered Mr Niyonkuru special incentives to start up a regional airline at Mr Niyonkuru’s hometown of Bujumbura-BJM instead. So the men revised their business plan, and in June 2012 they renamed the airline as Umurundi Airlines. (Umurundi means “Burundian” in the local Kirundi language.)
The airline was equally co-owned by the two young men, but in order to honor the Burundian government’s main requirement that the new airline be majority owned by one or more Burundian citizens, on paper Mr Niyonkuru was officially listed to have a 51% interest in the airline, while Mr Bronkhorst and his family held the outstanding 49% stake.
Early Operations
Operations began on 5 May 2014 with nonstop Airbus A318 air service connecting Bujumbura-BJM «» Johannesburg-JNB, Bujumbura-BJM «» Dar es Salaam-DAR, Bujumbura-BJM «» Nairobi-NBO and Bujumbura-BJM «» Kinshasa-FIH. The following year additional A318s were acquired via lease, and routes were added connecting Bujumbura-BJM «» Addis Ababa-ADD, Bujumbura-BJM «» Mombasa-MBA, Bujumbura-BJM «» Kigali-KGL and Bujumbura-BJM «» Lagos-LOS.
In 2015 the airline leased its first Airbus A321-200, allowing the young carrier to extend its reach into Europe with nonstop service from Bujumbura-BJM «» Paris-CDG and Bujumbura-BJM «» London-LGW. These new destinations were considered very important to both the airline and the Burundian government, because previously such air service was provided solely at the caprice of disinterested European airlines. The provision of a somewhat lower cost air service to Paris and London was considered a blessing by regional business interests as well as a budding tourism trade.
In 2016 Umurundi Airlines acquired three more A321-200s and opened nonstop routes connecting Bujumbura-BJM «» Dubai-DXB, Bujumbura-BJM «» Casablanca-CMN and Bujumbura-BJM «» Cape Town-CPT, as well as adding more seats along the Bujumbura-BJM «» Johannesburg-JNB route. Additional A318s entered the fleet during this period as well, opening new routes to nearby African cities such as Bujumbura-BJM «» Doula-DLA, Bujumbura-BJM «» Kampala-EBB, Bujumbura-BJM «» Das es Salaam-DAR, and Bujumbura-BJM «» Brazzaville-BZV.
Transition To Airbus A220s
The A318s proved to be increasingly more difficult to support in Africa, so in 2018 Umurundi Airlines entered into new leasing arrangements and acquired the first of its Airbus A220s. It took delivery of a steady stream of A220-100s and made plans to retire its Airbus A318 fleet, while greatly expanding its reach across the central part of Africa. In addition to cities such as Bujumbura-BJM «» Lusaka-LUN, Bujumbura-BJM «» Zanzibar-ZNZ and Bujumbura-BJM «» Yaounde-NSI. Service also began to Bujumbura-BJM «» Tenerife-TFS and Bujumbura-BJM «» Mahé-SEZ in the Seychelles, in an effort to enter the leisure market.
Later in 2018, the airline bought out the Bronkhorst family’s remaining stake in the carrier, leaving its ownership entirely in the hands of Messrs Niyonkuru and Bronkhorst.
Connecting To North America
From as early as 2014, the Burundian government had long been interested in adding service to the United States, particularly to New York. By 2017 the government had offered to help Umurundi Airlines to acquire a longer range aircraft such as an Airbus A330 or Boeing 767 to expedite such connectivity.
However, Messrs Niyonkuru and Bronkhorst were not inclined to take up such an offer, fearing it would go against the airline’s emphasis on keeping its operating costs low wherever possible.
That said, the two men did want to find a way to provide low cost air service from Bujumbura-BJM to both the US and Canada, which would add considerable prestige to the airline’s route network as well as provide useful direct air service to Africans living or doing business in the Americas. The carrier graciously declined the government’s offer to help the company to purchase widebody aircraft, asking the government for patience while the airline sought out a more cost-effective solution.
In the meantime, negotiations were initiated with the governments of Morocco and Spain to arrange for Fifth Freedom of the Air routes that would allow direct flights from Bujumbura-BJM to North America while using stopovers at airports within their respective countries.
Because there was no direct air service at the time between Tenerife and either New York-JFK or Toronto-YYZ, Spain granted unrestricted 5th Freedom service to Umurundi Airlines.
However, while the Moroccan government decided to allow full 5th Freedom service to Toronto-YYZ, but only granted technical stopover rights for flights headed to New York-JFK, to avoid having Umurundi compete too directly with Moroccan airlines already serving the New York market.
When Umurundi Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A321LR in early 2019, the company decided to begin direct air service Bujumbura-BJM «» Tenerife-TFS [unrestricted] «» New York-JFK 4 times weekly, and to Bujumbura-BJM «» Casablanca-CMN [technical] «» Toronto-YYZ 3 times weekly. Both routes soon proved to be both popular and profitable for the airline, attracting customers from several nearby countries as well as Burundian expats and business interests.
By the end of 2019, the carrier scheduled its 2nd A321neo to fly similar direct flights to Bujumbura-BJM «» Addis Ababa-ADD [technical] «» Mumbai-BOM 3 times and 4 times weekly to Bujumbura-BJM «» Mahé-SEZ [unrestricted] «» Singapore-SIN.
Meanwhile, the carrier placed new aircraft orders at the 2019 Paris Air Show, ordering more A321LRs and regular Airbus A321neos, as well as new Airbus A220-300s.
2020s
The Covid-19 Pandemic arrived in Burundi during late March 2020, but the disease had a comparatively muted effect on Burundi - only 38 deaths were recorded in-country. The Burundian government imposed relatively few restrictions on the country, but did require passengers arriving from infected countries to quarantine for 14 days.
As a result, Umurundi Airlines was able to continue providing at least some passenger flights between Bujumbura-BJM and most nearby African destinations. But due to much more stringent restrictions set down in Europe and North America, the airline had to discontinue its intercontinental passenger air service during much of the early 2020s.
The airline did, however, continue providing much needed preighter (cargo in cabin) air service to New York-JFK and Paris-CDG in order to bring goods to Burundi and central Africa. The carrier also provided occasional repatriation flights from the US, Canada, and Europe on behalf of various governments around central Africa.
By 2021 Umurundi Airlines retired the last of its Airbus A318s while taking delivery of its first Airbus A220-300s, as well as the first of its new Airbus A321neo aircraft. These newer aircraft were used to fly mostly on African routes, completing the airline’s reach to its current array of destinations around the continent.
Livery Redesign
In 2021, the airline decided to consider revising its aircraft livery. After some discussion Messrs Niyonkuru and Bronkhorst decided to retain the carrier’s original black-silver-white color scheme, but Mr Bronkhorst stated that he had never really liked the original cartoon style drawing of a Transvaal Lion’s head on the tail. He always thought the existing logo looked a bit too much like a sports team’s mascot for his taste.
So the two men decided to have the tail redesigned.
A stylized version of the flag of Burundi was initially considered, but when it became clear that many Burundians liked having a lion’s head on the tail, Messrs Niyonkuru and Bronkhorst came back around to keeping a lion’s head as the tail logo, but choosing instead to redesign the look of it.
The airline commissioned a noted Burundian artist, Chantal Manirambona, to redraw the logo.
Ms Manirambona started from a clean sheet and created an entirely new, more detailed and more realistic version of the lion’s face as compared to the original version. The resulting new design delighted both Mr Bronkhorst and Mr Niyonkuru, and it was painted on the first of the company’s incoming Airbus A220-300s. The new aircraft arrived at Bujumbura-BJM on 2 April 2021, and was well received by all.
In 2022, Umurundi Airlines retired its remaining Airbus A321-200s, having successfully switched over to the Airbus A321neo on routes to and from Europe, and the extended-range Airbus A321LR for the carrier’s routes to North America and Singapore. Also during 2022, Mr Bronkhorst, having resided in Burundi long enough, officially took on dual South African-Burundian citizenship. The airline then slightly adjusted Mr Bronkhorst’s stake in the airline to be officially 50/50 with Mr Niyonkuru.
Future Plans
As of 2024, Umurundi Airlines has become one of the most prominent air carriers in central and eastern Africa, despite the fact that Burundi itself is a relatively small player in the region’s economic and political firmament. The airline continues to receive new Airbus A220-300 and Airbus A321neo aircraft, with plans to retire its smaller Airbus A220-100s over the next two years. The company also expects the Bujumbura-BJM «» Mumbai-BOM route to become a nonstop route soon, removing Addis Ababa-ADD as a technical stop enroute.
The airline is looking to add several more routes to Europe: Bujumbura-BJM «» Amsterdam-AMS, Bujumbura-BJM «» Brussels-BRU, Bujumbura-BJM «» Dublin-DUB, Bujumbura-BJM «» Frankfurt-FRA and Bujumbura-BJM «» Marseille-MRS are frequently mentioned. Routes connecting to several north African destinations such as Bujumbura-BJM «» Cairo-CAI, Bujumbura-BJM «» Marrakesh-RAK, and Bujumbura-BJM «» Tunis-TUN are also in the planning stages.
The airline is also considering adding routes to Bujumbura-BJM «» Réunion-RUN and Bujumbura-BJM «» Mauritius-MRU. There has been additional talk of adding direct service to Bujumbura-BJM «» Miami-MIA and Bujumbura-BJM «» Washington-IAD, perhaps through a yet to be named 5th Freedom stopover airport in western Africa; Porto Delgada-PDL in the Portuguese Azores Islands is a frequently mentioned stopover option for such routes.
Lastly, an order was recently placed for a pair of Airbus A321XLR aircraft, which should begin deliveries in 2025. The airline intends to use the type to open a Bujumbura-BJM «» Singapore-SIN route as a nonstop flight, while retaining the carrier’s existing 5th Freedom-enabled Bujumbura-BJM «» Mahé-SEZ «» Singapore-SIN stopover route.
Service Details
Umurundi Airlines mostly operates as a low cost carrier (LCC), although its services on longer distance flights to and from Europe, North America and Asia are more hybrid in nature.
Most regional flights are operated using the Airbus A220. All intercontinental routes, as well as a few high traffic regional routes, are served by Airbus A321 aircraft. All aircraft of each type are configured identically, so all cabin crews can work interchangeably with either aircraft type. Flight crews, however, can only fly only one type or the other, although a few flight crews are rated to fly either type, and thus enjoy better pay.
The airline offers two classes of seating and service: 1) Standard Class, a basic economy class offering available on all aircraft; and 2) Prime Class, a premium economy class product available only on the A321 aircraft.
All Classes
All seats on Umurundi Airlines aircraft feature the following:
One European style type C plug port (using a 220V supply voltage at 50Hz); two USB-A charging ports; and one USB-C charging port. Electrical and USB port converters are available for purchase onboard.
At least a modest ability to recline.
Women’s purses are free as carry-on items, as are diaper bags when they are accompanied by a baby or toddler.
Access to the Onboard Shop, a Buy on Board (BoB) menu service where passengers can purchase a selection of beverages, comfort kits (compressed towels, travel blankets, ear plugs, travel pillows and/or eyeshades); electrical conversion plugs; gifts such as fragrances, cosmetics and items such as headphones and earbuds; packages of cigarettes or rolling tobacco; or certain alcoholic beverages.
Airbus A321 Aircraft Only: Wi-fi access is complimentary to Prime Class customers, while also available for a fee in Standard Class.
Standard Class
Umurundi Airlines Airbus A220s offer only the basic economy Standard Class, while on the company’s Airbus A321 aircraft the rear 2/3rds of seats are configured as Standard Class. Seating on the A220 is set at 5 abreast (3+2), while on A321s seating is set as 6 abreast (3+3).
All Standard Class seats are cloth-covered with a 30 inch pitch, offering 18 inch width for window and aisle seats, while middle seats are wider at 19 inches. Standard Class seats feature lighter weight seating without rear seat pockets, no inflight entertainment (IFE) systems, and no reserved seating. Seating is open in the Standard cabin based on boarding groups, which are labeled as Group 1 (first to board), Group 2 (next to board), and if required Group 3 (last to board).
There is no meal service available in Standard Class on any Airbus A220 aircraft, or on Airbus A321 flights under 2 hours in duration. On longer A321 flights, Standard passengers can pre-purchase onboard meals ahead of time, or as a buy on board (BoB) item at a higher cost based on availability. Standard Class meals are served in pre-packaged aluminum containers similar to a TV dinner or microwave meal, which are reheated immediately before serving.
Beverage service is available on all flights, but only bottled water service is complimentary to Standard Class passengers. All other drinks including flavored nonalcoholic beverages are to be purchased on a pay as you go basis. Wi-fi access is not available on A220 aircraft, but is available to Standard Class passengers on A321 aircraft for a fee.
Standard passengers may check one bag for free, while additional luggage may be checked for a modest fee. Carry-on items (other than a woman’s purse or a diaper bag) incur a higher fee and must meet certain size and weight requirements.
Prime Class
There are no Prime Class seats on Umurundi Airbus A220 aircraft.
On Umurundi Airbus A321 aircraft, the front 1/3rd of seats are configured with Prime Class seats which are set in a 4 abreast (2+2) arrangement without a middle seat. All Prime Class seats are manually controlled which very rarely ever malfunction.
Prime Class seating are leather-covered recliner seats with a 38 inch pitch by 20 inch width. They feature adjustable headrests, calf-rests, foot-rests and lumbar support, as well as built-in inflight entertainment (IFE) screens, complimentary wi-fi service, free toiletry kits, free travel pillows, and a complimentary welcome drink served after boarding. A set of noise-canceling headphones or earbuds, when available, are provided to Prime Class customers as well.
Meals and nonalcoholic drinks are complimentary with the airfare, but alcoholic beverages must be purchased from the Onboard Shop menu, albeit at a discount.
Prime Class passengers may check up to two bags for free, while additional luggage may be checked for a modest fee. Prime Class customers may also bring one free carry-on item of appropriate size and weight onboard, as well as a woman’s purse and/or diaper bag.
Destinations
Umurundi Airlines offers routes connecting to the following cities.
Accra-ACC, Ghana
Addis Ababa-ADD, Ethiopia
Antananarivo-TNR, Madagascar
Bamako-BKO, Mali
Bangui-BGF, Central African Republic
Brazzaville-BZV, Republic of the Congo
Bujumbura-BJM - HQ and Hub [ Map Link ]
Cape Town-CPT, South Africa
Casablanca-CMN, Morocco
Conakry-CKY, Guinea
Cotonou-COO, Benin
Dakar-DSS, Senegal
Dar Es Salaam-DAR, Tanzania
Douala-DLA, Cameroon
Dubai-DXB, United Arab Emirates
Harare-HRE, Zimbabwe
Johannesburg-JNB, South Africa
Juba-JUB, South Sudan
Kampala-EBB, Uganda
Kigali-KGL, Rwanda
Kigoma-TKQ - Tanzania
Kilimanjaro-JRO, Tanzania
Kinshasa-FIH, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Lagos-LOS, Nigeria
Libreville-LBV, Gabon
Lilongwe-LLW, Malawi
London-LGW, UK
Luanda-LAD, Angola
Lusaka-LUN, Zambia
Mahé-SEZ, Seychelles
Maputo-MPM, Mozambique
Mombasa-MBA, Kenya
Moroni-HAH, Comoros
Mumbai-BOM, India (via ADD)
Nairobi-NBO, Kenya
N'djamena-NDJ, Chad
New York-JFK, New York USA (via TFS)
Niamey-NIM, Niger
Paris-CDG, France
Singapore-SIN, Singapore (via SEZ)
Tenerife-TFS, Spain
Toronto-YYZ, Canada (via CMN)
Yaounde-NSI, Cameroon
Zanzibar-ZNZ, Tanzania
Fleet
Current Fleet
Umurundi Airlines’ fleet currently includes the following aircraft.
Airbus A220-100 - 2018-Present - retiring 2026
Airbus A220-300 - 2021-Present
Airbus A321LR - 2021-Present
Former Fleet
Umurundi Airlines previously operated the following aircraft.
Airbus A318-100 - 2014-2021
Airbus A321-200 - 2014-2022
Future Fleet
Umurundi Airlines has placed firm orders to acquire the following aircraft.
Airbus A321XLR - Expected 2025
=Nota Bene=
Umurundi Airlines is not based on any real life airline.
Burundi is also one of the smallest and poorest countries in Africa, so in real life it doesn’t require a particularly large airline presence. Thus IRL most passengers get to and from Bujumbura-BJM - the country’s only airport of any size - either through Addis Ababa-ADD via Ethiopian Airlines, through Brussels-BRU via Brussels Airlines, or through Rwandair at Kigali-KGL to connect to other parts of Africa or to Europe. Long story short, IRL Burundi’s international airline options are pretty limited as well.
In real life, Burundi has only one native airline in active service: Burundi Airlines, which seems to exist by a thread and has only one aircraft type, the 52 passenger Xian MA60 turboprop aircraft, which is a Chinese derivative of the Russian-made Antonov An-24.
Burundi Airlines’ predecessor was Air Burundi, which existed from 1971 to 2009 and at one point featured a Sud Aviation Caravelle in its fleet. I’ve always loved the Caravelle personally.
Long story short, IRL Burundi’s native airline options are singular and barely existent.Despite Burundi’s current problems with airline service, historically airlines have proliferated in Africa because the road and rail networks there have been/still are mostly underdeveloped. Despite the conventional wisdom about capitalism and air travel, most of the African airlines that have thrived have been government owned airlines that are not too-overly controlled by their governments. Even so, a few low cost carriers (LCCs) have done well there as well, mainly in Egypt and South Africa.
Having taken the above data points into consideration… It turns out that Bujumbura-BJM does have a nice long 11,811 foot runway, and the airport is well situated, geographically speaking, to serve as an excellent regional hub for eastern and central Africa.
So with all that in mind, I decided to create Umurundi Airlines as a thought experiment, asking myself what an airline might look like if a couple of entrepreneurs started one there? This article is the result of that thought experiment.The font used to write “The Heart of Africa” on the fuselage is a variant of the Born Ready font series (specifically Born Ready Slanted) by Nicky Laatz. It’s a great little font that is available for purchase from her website.
All liveries depicted in this article were conceived and drawn by the Author.
All aircraft templates displayed in this article were licensed from Norebbo and augmented by the Author for display. Blank side view templates of these aircraft are available for purchase through ShopNorebbo.
Route Maps were created using Great Circle Map.