--- iata: KGL name: Kigali International Airport city: Kigali country: Rwanda lastUpdated: '2026-09-22' officialWebsite: 'https://www.rac.co.rw/' sources: - 'https://www.rac.co.rw/' - 'https://www.rac.co.rw/vip-lounges-at-airport' - 'https://www.rac.co.rw/stores-and-duty-free-shops' - 'https://www.rac.co.rw/default-title/parking' - >- https://aim.asecna.aero/eAIP_Rwanda/03-24_2024_11_28/eAIP/HR-AD%202%20HRYR-en-GB.html - 'https://www.rwandair.com/information/prepare-to-fly/faqs/' - >- https://www.rwandair.com/media-center/travel-alerts/check-in-and-airport-processing-times/ - >- https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/rwanda/kigali-international-kanombe/kgl-pearl-lounge - 'https://airport.mastercard.com/en/lounge-finder/lounge?loungecode=KGL' - 'https://www.dragonpass.com/explore/lounge/A20218/N04743' - 'https://www.migration.gov.rw/visa-on-arrival' - 'https://rdb.rw/entering-rwanda/' - >- https://support.irembo.gov.rw/en/support/solutions/articles/47001269409-frequently-asked-questions-about-visa-on-arrival-faqs- - 'https://irembo.gov.rw' - 'https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/country/187/rwanda' - 'https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/rwanda' - 'https://kigalibusservices.rw/fares/' - 'https://kigalibusservices.rw/routes/' - 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kigali_International_Airport' quickFacts: - >- Kigali International Airport (IATA KGL / ICAO HRYR) sits in Kanombe on the eastern edge of Kigali. Rwanda eAIP: 278° and 10 km from Kigali city centre (haversine to the mapped centre is about 9 km). Leftover Wikipedia "5 km by road" leftover-conflicts — sit the eAIP. Operator Rwanda Airports Company (RAC). Elevation 4,883 ft / 1,488 m. Time zone Africa/Kigali (CAT, UTC+2). Official site www.rac.co.rw. - >- Last operator-facing traffic figure is about 1.2 million passengers (2019), the year cited in Rwanda's ICAO State Action Plan and the Wikipedia infobox. Aggregator leftover 1.3–1.5 million for 2024 is unpublished by RAC — do not treat it as an official year. Original design capacity was about 400,000; the live Kanombe campus is the reason Bugesera is being built. - >- Live passenger campus on 22 Sep 2026 is one main two-storey hall. Leftover "three terminals" is the old VIP building plus cargo, not three scheduled doors. Bugesera International is NOT live — Rwanda's infrastructure minister has said construction aims at 2027 with operations mid-2028. Fly Kanombe until then. No metro. No airport rail. - >- One runway 10/28, 3,500 × 45 m asphalt, CAT 9 H24. eAIP: runway 10 is take-off only and runway 28 is landing only except with ATC authorisation. IFR/VFR H24. Customs, immigration, health, ATS, fuelling, handling and security are H24. Hub RwandAir. Surrounding high ground to the north and west is in the eAIP remarks. - >- RAC licensed taxis at Arrivals (outside the arrival gate, 24/7): sky-blue ATAK vans and Volkswagen MOVE. Uber is not in Rwanda. Bolt's Kigali city page 404s. Yego is the local cab/moto app (cash or Mobile Money; moto supply is limited). KBS publishes a Kibaya–Kanombe Airport–Downtown route and a Daily Airport Pass at 600 RWF on a Tap&Go smart card. - >- Nationals of all countries can get a visa on arrival at KGL (from 1 Jan 2018). Irembo V1 Holiday is US$50 / 30-day single or US$70 / 90-day multiple; East Africa Tourist Visa (V11) US$100. AU, Commonwealth and La Francophonie 30-day fee waiver; EAC citizens 6 months free. Passport 6 months. Yellow fever certificate only if you arrive from a WHO risk country (NaTHNaC/FCDO) — not a universal jab like Entebbe. bentoTips: - label: Check-in title: RwandAir wants you 4 hours before an international departure detail: >- RwandAir FAQ: international 4 hours, domestic 3 hours. Desks close 90 minutes before international flights and 60 minutes before domestic. Online check-in still requires a desk visit before the counter closes (processing-times alert). The same alert tells every passenger to allow 4 hours — treat that as the international default, not leftover folklore. summary: >- Be at Kanombe 4 hours before a RwandAir international flight. Desks close 90 minutes prior; online check-in does not skip the airport desk. category: timing - label: Layout title: One passenger hall — Bugesera is not a second Kigali airport yet detail: >- RAC's live campus is the Kanombe passenger building. Wikipedia leftover "three terminals" is the old VIP building plus cargo, not three check-in halls. Bugesera remains a construction site (ops targeted mid-2028). Follow live Departures / Arrivals signs in the main hall. summary: >- Scheduled passengers use one two-storey hall in Kanombe. Do not plan on Bugesera, and do not treat leftover VIP/cargo buildings as extra doors. category: terminal - label: Food title: RAC lists 24/7 bars and restaurants — no published water tariff detail: >- RAC: shops, bars and restaurants in the public halls and in the international duty-free zone, 24/7. eAIP only promises "restaurants at AD (snacks)". RAC does not publish drinking-fountain locations or a bottled water price. Buy a sealed bottle landside or airside; lounge drinks come with Pearl or Dream access. summary: >- Eat in the public halls or the duty-free zone. There is no published refill-fountain map and no RAC bottle tariff. category: food - label: Visa title: Visa on arrival is real — yellow fever is not a universal card detail: >- Apply on Irembo before you fly or pay at KGL. V1 US$50 / US$70. EATV US$100. Commonwealth/AU/Francophonie 30 days fee-waived; EAC 6 months free. Yellow fever is required only when you arrive from a WHO transmission-risk country (NaTHNaC country 187 / FCDO). Direct from the UK or US: CDC says the vaccine is not an entry requirement. summary: >- Every nationality can visa on arrival at KGL. Carry a passport valid 6 months. Do not copy Entebbe's "yellow fever for everyone" rule. category: status lounges: - name: Pearl Lounge zone: International hours: '00:00-23:59' access: - Priority Pass (max 4 hours; children under 2 free; 4.2/509) - LoungeKey (Mastercard Airport Experiences code KGL) - DragonPass (listing A20218 / N04743) bestFor: - Priority Pass - Overnight waits - Independent travelers summary: >- The card-network room at KGL — airside after the Duty Free shops, 24/7, max 4 hours. PP 4.2/509. Wine and spirits extra; hot food temporarily suspended on the Priority Pass and LoungeKey pages. Showers are not on the PP facilities list. RAC still advertises food, beverages and Wi-Fi. verdict: worth-it terminal: Passenger Terminal amenities: - Wi-Fi (RAC / Priority Pass) - Soft drinks - Alcohol (wine and spirits extra on PP) - Air conditioning - Disabled access - TV - Newspapers / magazines - Digital card accepted - name: Dream Lounge zone: International hours: '00:00-23:59' access: - RwandAir Business Class - Dream Miles Gold and Diamond (show the card) bestFor: - RwandAir long haul - Families - Views over Remera summary: >- RwandAir's own room — RAC: food, beverages, flight information, a child play area, and a view over Kimirinko and Remera. Open to WB Business and top-tier Dream Miles. RAC homepage groups Pearl and Dream as 24/7. Not Priority Pass. Showers appear in 2023 traveler reviews; RAC's lounge page does not list them. verdict: depends terminal: Passenger Terminal amenities: - Food and beverages (RAC) - Flight information displays (RAC) - Child play area (RAC) - View over Kimirinko and Remera (RAC) - Wi-Fi (RAC) waterOptions: - kind: purchase name: Landside public-hall bars and restaurants zone: landside price: No published RAC tariff — pay at the till summary: >- RAC lists bars and restaurants in the public halls 24/7 and does not publish drinking-fountain locations or a bottled-water price. Buy a sealed bottle before security. location: >- Landside public halls of the main passenger terminal — RAC 24/7 bars and restaurants (no named fountain map) terminal: Passenger Terminal isBestValue: true - kind: purchase name: International duty-free zone shops zone: airside price: No published RAC tariff — pay at the till summary: >- RAC lists shops, bars and restaurants in the international duty-free zone 24/7. Sealed water after security; still no published tariff. location: >- Airside international duty-free zone after passport control — RAC 24/7 shops and restaurants terminal: Passenger Terminal - kind: free name: Pearl Lounge soft drinks zone: airside price: Included with lounge access summary: >- Priority Pass lists soft beverages; wine and spirits are extra and hot food is temporarily suspended. Complimentary once you are in the room. location: 'Pearl Lounge, airside after the Duty Free shops in the passenger terminal' terminal: Passenger Terminal isBestQuality: true airportistScore: 6.8 slug: kgl region: Africa --- > Markdown for [/airports/kgl](/airports/kgl). Append `.md` to any page URL (or send `Accept: text/markdown`) for an agent-readable copy. - [HTML page](/airports/kgl) - [Lounge directory](/airports/kgl/lounges.md) - [Sitemap](/sitemap.md) # Kigali International Airport (KGL) Kigali, Rwanda · Africa Rwanda’s capital gateway is a compact Kanombe hall 10 km from the city: visa on arrival is real, Uber is not, and Bugesera is still a construction site — budget four hours for RwandAir international. ## Airportist Score **6.8 / 10** Weighted sum of the six published categories (no holistic fudge). - Ease of use (25%): 7.2 — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout. - Comfort & amenities (20%): 6.8 — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet. - Food & retail (15%): 6.2 — Food and retail quality and variety. - Ground access (15%): 7.4 — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city. - Reliability (15%): 6.2 — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience. - Lounges (10%): 6.8 — Worth-it density and access quality. ## At a glance - Passengers: about 1.2 million (2019) - Terminals: One main passenger hall (Kanombe) - Typical security: 25 min - On-time: 0% - Disruption: minor ## Best for - Kigali and gorilla-country connections on RwandAir - Priority Pass holders who can use Pearl 24/7 - Travelers who will take ATAK, MOVE or Yego rather than Uber ## Watch out for - Uber and Bolt are not live in Rwanda - Bugesera is not open — fly Kanombe until mid-2028 - RwandAir international desks close 90 minutes before departure - Yellow fever is only required from WHO risk countries, not for every arrival ## More intel - [Lounge directory](/airports/kgl/lounges.md) (free) - [Getting there](/airports/kgl/getting-there.md) (free) - [Amenities](/airports/kgl/amenities.md) (free) - [Traveler tips](/airports/kgl/tips.md) (free) - [Water](/airports/kgl/water.md) (free) - [Full guide](/airports/kgl/guide.md) (free) - [Disruptions](/airports/kgl/disruptions.md) (free) - [Reviews](/airports/kgl/reviews.md) (free)