Captain Pritpal Arora, on assignment with RwandAir through Rishworth Aviation, was recently promoted to A330 Fleet Manager. He shares his career highlights leading up to this achievement, and some of his experiences flying with RwandAir.
Starting with RwandAir as A330 Captain in 2017, Captain Arora’s duties soon included working as Designated Pilot Examiner before recently being promoted to A330 Fleet Manager. In close cooperation with Rishworth Aviation, Captain Arora oversees candidate selection and ongoing pilot screenings for the A330.
Captain Arora has a long and interesting flying career covering the African and Asian continents. Originally from New Delhi, India, he completed his CPL in 1987 with the Delhi Flying Club. His aviation career began with the Indian National Carrier, Indian Airlines, as a B737 pilot. Pritpal then transitioned to the A320 as First Officer in 1992, and quickly climbed the ranks to become an A320 Captain in 1996. In the year 2000, Pritpal joined SriLankan Airlines as an A330 Captain and subsequently moved to the A340. In 2008, Pritpal returned to India to join Kingfisher Airlines, where he became an A330 Type Rating Instructor and Type Rating Examiner. In 2012, Captain Arora made his first move to the continent of Africa, where he joined Arik Air as A330 TRI and TRE.
The next step in his comprehensive career lead him to RwandAir - where he became an A330 Captain and Designated Pilot Examiner. Pritpal has been impressed with the standard of support and service provided by Rishworth Aviation, in helping him to achieve his career goals. He says “This is my first time working with Rishworth Aviation and I don’t regret it. They are very helpful and take care of everything as and when required”.
On the future plans of the airline, Captain Arora tells us “RwandAir is growing rapidly, adding new aircraft as well as new routes, including Guangzhou in China, and later New York”. The carrier will commence Guangzhou services in June 2019, while US FAA authorisation to operate New York services is underway. Expansion plans at the airline include adding new aircraft, with two A330 Neo’s and two B737 joining the current fleet in 2019. The A330 Neo’s will be used to commence Guangzhou and New York services and increase Dubai, Johannesburg and Lagos capacity. The B737 will be used to operate Addis Ababa, Khartoum, Lilongwe, Luanda and Tel Aviv services.
As the A330 Fleet Manager, Pritpal describes the attributes he and RwandAir are seeking for the current positions, as good, qualified pilots who will adhere to the high standards of safety and service at the core of the airline’s business.
In terms of his impressions of his home base, Pritpal is very much enjoying Rwanda “the country of 1000 hills and lakes - it’s beautiful, safe and some people call it the Switzerland of Africa! I’m loving it here”.
About Rwanda
Rwanda has a population of over 12 million people, with over 700,000 people living in Kigali. Rwanda’s climate is mild to subtropical, with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons each year. The average daily temperature in Kigali is 21 degrees celsius. The cost of living in Rwanda is low and the standard of housing and accommodation is good. Travellers come from far and wide to see the mountain gorillas, and there is so much more to see and experience.
With three national parks, the thriving capital city of Kigali, spectacular mountain scenery and some surprisingly diverse wildlife, Rwanda has plenty to occupy the expat population. Rwanda has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa and is one of the friendliest, safest countries on the continent. Rwanda has evolved into a united, proud and optimistic country that warmly welcomes its visitors and provides a truly memorable and inspiring experience.
About RwandAir and Rishworth Aviation
Rishworth Aviation has been working with RwandAir for over ten years, to offer pilots an opportunity to live and work in one of the most naturally beautiful countries in the world. We provide an on the ground pilot support representative for our pilots, who will help with the transition to RwandAir. Captain Bethwell Igobwa and the rest of our Europe-based pilot support team are available for you to call on throughout your RwandAir contract and beyond.