N'djili Airport

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N'djili Airport
Aéroport de N'djili
IATA: FIH – ICAO: FZAA
FIH
Location of Airport in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Summary
Airport type Public
Location Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Hub for
Elevation AMSL 1,027 ft / 313 m
Coordinates 04°23′08.7″S 15°26′40.45″E / 4.385750°S 15.4445694°E / -4.385750; 15.4445694Coordinates: 04°23′08.7″S 15°26′40.45″E / 4.385750°S 15.4445694°E / -4.385750; 15.4445694
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
06/24 15,420 4,700 Concrete
Statistics (2009)
Passengers 672,347
[1]

N'djili Airport (IATA: FIH, ICAO: FZAA), also known as N'Djili International Airport and Kinshasa International Airport, serves the city of Kinshasa and is the largest of the four international airports in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is named after the nearby Ndjili River.[2]

In 1998, N'Djili airport was the site of one of the decisive battles of the Second Congo War. Rebel forces advancing on Kinshasa infiltrated the airport perimeter but were repulsed by Zimbabwean troops and aircraft arriving to support the government of Laurent Kabila.[3]

It served as a hub for Hewa Bora Airways until its demise in 2011.

The airport has barely been maintained or upgraded and is still using the infrastructure built by the Belgians during the colonial era.[4] Some computerized upgrades to the arrivals terminal have been implemented in recent years.[5]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines Destinations
Air Côte d'IvoireAbidjan, Lagos
Air France Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Arik Air Douala, Lagos
ASKY Airlines Douala, Lagos, Libreville, Lomé
Brussels Airlines Brussels
Camair-co Douala
Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation[6] Boende, Bukavu, Bumba, Gemena, Goma, Isiro, Johannesburg-OR Tambo, Kananga, Kindu, Kisangani, Lisala, Lodja, Lubumbashi, Mbandaka, Mbuji-Mayi, Tshikapa
Congo Express Lubumbashi
Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa, Brazzaville
Kenya Airways Nairobi
Korongo Airlines Lubumbashi, Mbuji-Mayi
Royal Air Maroc Casablanca
Stellar Airways Goma, Kananga, Kisangani, Lubumbashi, Mbuji-Mayi
South African Airways Johannesburg-OR Tambo
Turkish Airlines Istanbul-Atatürk
Westair Benin Cotonou, Pointe-Noire[7]

Cargo

Airlines Destinations
Cargolux Luxembourg
Ethiopian Airlines Cargo Addis Ababa

Accidents and incidents

  • On 18 August 1968, Douglas DC-3D 9Q-CUM of Air Congo was destroyed by fire.[8]
  • On 28 August 1984, Vickers Viscount 9Q-CPD of Zaire Aero Service crashed after takeoff.[9]
  • On 15 April 1997, a Douglas DC-3 was hijacked at N'djili Airport. There were six to eight hijackers.[10]
  • On 26 July 2002, in the 2002 Africa One Antonov An-26 crash, 9Q-CMC was written off without fatalities[11]
  • On 4 October 2007, Antonov An-26 9Q-COS of Africa One crashed shortly after take-off from N'djili Airport, killing at least 51 people and injuring a further 30.
  • On 2 January 2010, Boeing 727-231F 9Q-CAA of Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation was substantially damaged when it departed the side of the runway.[12]
  • On 21 June 2010, Hewa Bora Airways Flight 601, operated by McDonnell Douglas MD-82 9Q-COQ burst a tyre on take-off. Hydraulic systems and port engine were damaged and the nose gear did not lower when the aircraft returned to N'djili. All 110 people on board escaped uninjured. The airline blamed the state of the runway for the accident, but investigators found no fault with the runway.[13]
  • On 4 April 2011, a Canadair CRJ-100ER 4L-GAE of Georgian Airways operating under an UN mission as flight 834 from Bangoka International Airport, Kisangani to Kinshasa missed the runway on landing at Kinshasa. The aircraft subsequently broke into pieces and caught fire. Only one survivor is reported out of 29 passengers and 4 crew. The airport was experiencing torrential rain, thunderstorms and low visibility at the time.[14]

  • Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) at Kinshasa International Airport

  • Terminal building at Kinshasa International Airport

  • N'Djili airport at night

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

  1. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_busiest_airports_in_Africa
  2. ↑ Kambale, Juakali (14 June 2010). "By the Rivers of Kinshasa Town". East African. Retrieved 2011-11-28. 
  3. ↑ Cooper, Tom. "Zaire/DR.Congo 1980-2001". ACIG.ORG. Retrieved 22 January 2013. 
  4. ↑ http://www.cinqchantiers-rdc.com/English/interview6.html
  5. ↑ http://www.hudin.com/blog/how_to_survive_ndjili_airport_in_kinshasa/
  6. ↑ Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation timetable (August 2013)
  7. ↑ Westair Benin destinations list for Winter 2012/2013
  8. ↑ "9Q-CUM Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 24 July 2011. 
  9. ↑ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 October 2009. 
  10. ↑ "Hijacking description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 25 June 2010. 
  11. ↑ "Safety Review". Flight Global. 2003. 
  12. ↑ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2 January 2010. 
  13. ↑ Hradecky, Simon (21 June 2010). "Accident: Hewa Bora MD82 at Kinshasa on Jun 21st 2010, burst tyre on takeoff, hydraulic failure, runway excursion on landing". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 16 July 2011. 
  14. ↑ "Georgian Airways CRJ1 at Kinshasa on Apr 4th 2011, missed the runway and broke up". The Aviation herald. Retrieved 5 April 2011. 

External links

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