In 1 April 1999 Air Burundi took delivery of a Beechcraft 1900C which came to be the "Flaggship" and backbone in the fleet.
The airline continued to provide scheduled flights to nearby regional cities, however in spring of 2007, due to technical issues it temporarily suspended operations. In 2008, the airline was relaunched with a much smaller network, providing daily flights to Kigali and Entebbe.
2009
In September 2009, an inability to secure adequate funding to overhaul its aircraft led to the airline's suspension of operations; the single aircraft in operation, a Beechcraft 1900, had reached the maximum flight hours before a major service was mandated. The aircraft was flown to South Africa to undergo regular maintenance operations, to cost at least $1m.
In August 2011, East African media reported that Air Burundi had started a process of restructuring. Six international companies had already been pre-selected, through competitive bidding, to propose a restructuring process. Plans were apparently under way to either lease or acquire new aircraft to facilitate the resumption of flight operations.
Air Burundi Xian MA 60 9U-BHU
The government of China also showed its interest and offered that as a donor it was prepared to sign a Memorandum and Understanding with the Burundian government if they acquired two Xian MA60 then an aircraft would be donated by the Chinese government
2012
On 28 June 2012, Air Burundi the national flag carrier took delivery of its first of two Xian MA60s, that the airline had hej ordered last year. The plane landed in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi,few days before the 50th anniversary of the independence.
With this new plane, Air Burundi should resume flights to regional destinations such as Rwanda, Kenya or Uganda. The next step for the airline will be the privatization.
Despite the arrival of the MA60, operations never started due to that Air Burundi did not have any trained pilots and crew for the aircraft.
The aircraft Xian MA60 9U-BHU, that never flew in Air Burundi skies.
Air Burundi took up negotiations with Air Zimbabwe which had MA60s in their fleet to train pilots, crew and tehchnical staff but the negotiation was not compleated.
For the second MA60, due as part of a "Buy one, get one free, as having been recorded as a donation from the Chines government to the Burundian government") in the Momentum and Understanding deal with China, the contract regarding the purchase of the aircraft (recorded as having been a "donation" from China to Burundi) was yet to be finalized, with no delivery date agreed to date.
Air Burundi had at least two aircraft aviable to operate, the Beechcraft that was undergoing heavy service in South Africa.
In September 2013 it was indicated that the airline should require $1.3 million to overhaul and return its Beechcraft 1900C.
AIRCRAFT OPERATION
9U-BRY Douglas DC-3 1975 -
9U-BRZ Douglas DC-3 1975 -
9U-BTA SE-210 Caravelle III 1975 - 1983
9U-BHA DHC 6 Twinn Otter 1977 - 1996 - 2007
9U-BHB DHC-6 Twinn Otter 1977 - 1999 - 2001
Burundi Airlines
In May 2020, the Government of Burundi unveiled plans to launch a new national carrier under the brand name Burundi Airlines (Bujumbura).
2009
Burundi Airlines (IATA: n/a, ICAO: n/a) is a state-owned national airline of Burundi, to function as the national carrier of that East African country. The government of Burundi owns 92 percent of the new airline's stock. Burundi Airlines was formally established on 4 February 2021.
The new airline is a merger of the defunct Air Burundi, which ceased operations in 2009, and SOBUGEA, a Burundian government-owned company responsible for ground handling and airport maintenance. The new combined entity will own 92 percent of Burundi Airlines stock. The remaining 8 percent shareholding will be split between a Belgian company and the state-owned insurance company, Societe d’Assurances du Burundi (Socabu).
