Qatar Airways and RwandAir have agreed to an interline partnership, connecting through their hubs in Doha and Kigali, the carriers announced.

With the partnership, passengers on Qatar—which has five weekly flights to Kigali via Entebbe, Uganda—can connect from Kigali to RwandAir's network of destinations in Africa, including Bujumbura, Burundi; Brazzaville, Republic of Congo; and Libreville, Gabon. Similarly, RwandAir passengers will be able to connect to Qatar's global network from Doha.

The two carriers last month announced an agreement for frequent-flyer program reciprocity, through which members of each Qatar Airways Privilege Club and RwandAir Dream Miles can both earn and use points on one another's networks.

Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al-Baker said last year that Qatar had plans to acquire a 49 percent stake in RwandAir, and at a CAPA Live virtual event last month, RwandAir chief executive officer Yvonne Makolo said that was "still in progress." Qatar also has a large investment in the construction of a new Kigali airport.

"Africa is a hugely important market for us, and this latest partnership will help support the recovery of international air travel and offer unrivalled connectivity to and from a number of new African destinations," Al-Baker said in a statement. - Michael B. Baker, Business Travel News