Apparently folks, Rwanda is serious about being a drone free zone. I have heard those stories of several other African destinations but never experienced this firsthand until yesterday.
I was only transiting through Rwanda's capital city, Kigali, on my way from Cape Town (btw no problems droning in South Africa whatsoever) but because it was a long wait for the connecting flight in Rwanda (the whole night), RwandAir were nice enough to put us in a hotel in town (btw this must be the fanciest coach I ever flew - 2x23 kg baggage allowance plus this hotel thing..). So technically we were entering the country. They scanned our bags when exiting the airport (!) and found the drone. It’s a small airport but the security seems to be very tight or at least they want to create that impression. A law enforcement officer came and told me they had to keep my drone for the night (including the remote, I was able to keep the spare batteries and the charger though) and gave me a slip to claim it in the morning. I protested saying we are only gonna stay in Rwanda all of 7 hours and all of them at night so I’ll sleep rather than drone but he was firm. He also refused to let me keep it in a sealed bag. He took me to a room where all the drones were being kept and boy were there many! All shapes and sizes, some Mavics, an Air, Phantoms too judging by the size of cases (see photo). He says the law has been in place for a year now and you need a license from the Rwanda aviation authorities to be able to bring the drone in. Obviously it’s nearly impossible to secure those papers so they just confiscate all of them. On the plus side he was courteous, respectful and organized. So really not a problem, just a minor nuisance. I picked up the drone in the exact same condition in the morning, unscathed with a neat tag attached. But when boarding the plane another officer had me take it out and again started saying it’s illegal and that I shouldn’t have it here bla bla bla. I didn’t understand why the fuss since I was already leaving the country. Then the first cop called him and cleared us to leave. All in all a lot of drama about nothing.
When we were going to Cape Town a month ago (also layover in Rwanda) they also took it out and inspected it but we were not leaving the airport then so they didn’t take it and I didn’t think much of it. Thought it was just their curiosity.
Now I know it was not an isolated case and that they treat it seriously. It’s a small airport with few flights so don’t count on your drone slipping their fingers. If you wanna go to Rwanda only, might as well leave the bird at home.
The photo is for illustration. I blurred the officer’s face for obvious reasons.
I was only transiting through Rwanda's capital city, Kigali, on my way from Cape Town (btw no problems droning in South Africa whatsoever) but because it was a long wait for the connecting flight in Rwanda (the whole night), RwandAir were nice enough to put us in a hotel in town (btw this must be the fanciest coach I ever flew - 2x23 kg baggage allowance plus this hotel thing..). So technically we were entering the country. They scanned our bags when exiting the airport (!) and found the drone. It’s a small airport but the security seems to be very tight or at least they want to create that impression. A law enforcement officer came and told me they had to keep my drone for the night (including the remote, I was able to keep the spare batteries and the charger though) and gave me a slip to claim it in the morning. I protested saying we are only gonna stay in Rwanda all of 7 hours and all of them at night so I’ll sleep rather than drone but he was firm. He also refused to let me keep it in a sealed bag. He took me to a room where all the drones were being kept and boy were there many! All shapes and sizes, some Mavics, an Air, Phantoms too judging by the size of cases (see photo). He says the law has been in place for a year now and you need a license from the Rwanda aviation authorities to be able to bring the drone in. Obviously it’s nearly impossible to secure those papers so they just confiscate all of them. On the plus side he was courteous, respectful and organized. So really not a problem, just a minor nuisance. I picked up the drone in the exact same condition in the morning, unscathed with a neat tag attached. But when boarding the plane another officer had me take it out and again started saying it’s illegal and that I shouldn’t have it here bla bla bla. I didn’t understand why the fuss since I was already leaving the country. Then the first cop called him and cleared us to leave. All in all a lot of drama about nothing.
When we were going to Cape Town a month ago (also layover in Rwanda) they also took it out and inspected it but we were not leaving the airport then so they didn’t take it and I didn’t think much of it. Thought it was just their curiosity.
Now I know it was not an isolated case and that they treat it seriously. It’s a small airport with few flights so don’t count on your drone slipping their fingers. If you wanna go to Rwanda only, might as well leave the bird at home.
The photo is for illustration. I blurred the officer’s face for obvious reasons.
