Lignes Nationales Aériennes Congolaises, also known as Lina Congo, was the

national airline A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations. Hist ...

of the

Republic of Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

before ECAir in 2010. Lina-Congo Fokker F27 Volpati-1

History

Air Congo (Compagnie Congolaise de Transports Aériéns) was founded in 1961 by private investors to operate charter and feeder flights in French Equatorial Africa with

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

s and

Douglas DC-4 The Douglas DC-4 is an American four-engined (piston), propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Military versions of the plane, the C-54 and R5D, served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s ...

s. Based in

Pointe-Noire Pointe-Noire (; kg, Njinji, french: Ndjindji with the letter d following French spelling standards) is the second largest city in the Republic of the Congo, following the capital of Brazzaville, and an autonomous department since 2004. Before t ...

, in 1963 the airline saw a route expansion after taking over numerous routes which were previously operated by Air Afrique. The route network linked

Brazzaville Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLI ...

and

with

Moanda Moanda is one of the largest towns in Gabon, lying on the N3 road in Haut Ogooué. It is also one of the most important manganese mining towns in the world, under the auspices of the ''Compagnie Minière de l'Ogooué'' (COMILOG), which began ...

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

. On 16 March 1964, the airline was recapitalised and reformed, and the name was changed to Air Congo (Brazzaville). In August 1965, the airline was renamed Lina Congo in an attempt to lessen confusion with it and the airline of the same name from

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

. By this time, the airline was 66% owned by the Congolese government. The fleet of the airline in the early 1970s comprised one

, two

s, one Fokker F27 and two light aircraft, and the route network took in Brazzaville, Fort Rousset, Dolisie,

Impfondo Impfondo is a town in the northeastern Republic of the Congo with a population of around 41,000 people, lying on the Oubangui River. It is home to an airport and is linked by river barge to Brazzaville and to Bangui. It is the administrative cen ...

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. J ...

Makabana Makabana is a small town in the south of the Republic of Congo. Transportation Makabana is served by a station on the national railway network and by Makabana Airport. See also * Railway stations in Congo Railway stations in the Republi ...

Makoua Makoua is a town in the Republic of the Congo, lying at the southern edge of the rainforest, north of Owando. It is home to an airport. It lies on the equator. Climate Makouas has a tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, hu ...

, Ouesso and

. In 1974,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

announced a C$5.7 million aid program for

Congo-Brazzaville The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

to develop civil aviation in the country. The program which was made up of $4,904,000 in grants, and a $880,000 loan, allowed for the overhaul of Lina Congo, in addition to infrastructure in the country. By the late 1970s, two Canadian built de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otters had joined the fleet, and the rest of the fleet comprised one DC-3, one

Nord 262 Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televisi ...

, two Antonov An-24s and two Fokker F27s. In addition a single Douglas DC-6 was leased from the Canadian International Development Company. On 12 March 1992, a Twin Otter of the airline crashed during a thunderstorm near Etsouali during a flight from Maya Maya Airport in Brazzaville. The crash killed three crew members, but the five passengers survived. In 2002, the airline was dissolved by the Congolese government after sustaining heavy losses and continuing to be a drain on government coffers.

Fleet

As of August 2006 the Lina Congo fleet included:''

Flight International ''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...

'', 3–9 October 2006 *1 De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 300

References

External links

Defunct airlines of the Republic of the Congo Government-owned airlines Airlines established in 1961 Airlines disestablished in 2002 1961 establishments in the Republic of the Congo {{Africa-airline-stub