As International Women’s Day draws closer, we’d like to use this opportunity to highlight one of the few female aviation leaders, RwandAir CEO, Yvonne Makolo.

Yvonne Makolo brings over 14 years of commercial experience to her current position including as RwandAir’s Deputy CEO. In June 2022, she was recognised by the International Hospitality Institute on the Global 100 in Hospitality, a list featuring the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality and more recently served as Chair of the IATA Board of Governors. Since her appointment as RwandAir’s CEO, the airline has seen rapid growth, and from its Kigali hub, now serves 25 destinations across Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Her focus remains on strengthening opportunities for intra-African collaboration, campaigning for government support and the unification of African air space as part of the SAATM (Single African Air Transport Market).