N'djili Airport (french: Aéroport de N'djili ), also known as N'Djili International Airport and Kinshasa International Airport, serves the city of
Kinshasa
Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one of ...
and is the largest of the four international airports in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
(DRC). It is named after the nearby
Ndjili River
The Ndjili River is a river that flows from the south through the capital city of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it joins the Congo River. It separates the districts of Tshangu and Mont Amba.
The river gives its name to th ...
.
History
The airport was inaugurated in 1953.
In 1998, N'Djili airport was the site of
one of the decisive battles of the
Second Congo War
The Second Congo War,, group=lower-alpha also known as the Great War of Africa or the Great African War and sometimes referred to as the African World War, began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August 1998, little more than a year a ...
. Rebel forces advancing on
Kinshasa
Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one of ...
infiltrated the airport perimeter but were repelled by
Zimbabwean troops and aircraft arriving to support the government of
Laurent Kabila.
In June 2015, a new international terminal was opened which can service one million passengers per year. Some computerized upgrades to the arrivals terminal have been implemented in recent years, although corruption remains a problem.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Accidents and incidents
* On 18 August 1968,
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 versi ...
D 9Q-CUM of
Air Congo was destroyed by fire.
* On 28 August 1984,
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount is a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner.
The Vi ...
9Q-CPD of Zaire Aero Service crashed after takeoff.
* On 15 April 1997, a
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 versi ...
was hijacked at N'djili Airport. There were six to eight hijackers.
* On 26 July 2002, in the
2002 Africa One Antonov An-26 crash
The 2002 Africa One Antonov An-26 crash occurred on 26 July 2002 when an Africa One Antonov An-26 (9Q-CMC) faced a rejected takeoff at Kinshasa-N'Djili Airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. As a result of the aborted takeoff, the ...
, 9Q-CMC was written off without fatalities
* On 13 January 2006, in the
ZS-FUN, Learjet 24F accident, an Air Ambulance mission operated by SOS Air Rescue Africa, ZS-FUN was on final approach and cleared to land for a medical evacuation. Upon touchdown the left undercarriage collapsed due to a recent rain which caused an aquaplane. Both pilots and medical crew survived without injury. A secondary aircraft was dispatched after the accident to transfer the patient to Johannesburg, South Africa. The mentioned aircraft remained in Kinshasa for repairs and sold afterwards.
* On 4 October 2007,
Antonov An-26 9Q-COS of
Africa One Congo 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.
* 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.
* 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
Not to be confused with Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport or Bangkok Don Mueang International Airport
Kisangani Bangoka International Airport is an airport serving Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The airport is east of the city.
The ...
,
Kisangani to Kinshasa
missed the runway on landing at Kinshasa. The aircraft subsequently broke into pieces and caught fire. Only one survivor was reported out of 29 passengers and 4 crew. The airport was experiencing torrential rain, thunderstorms and low visibility at the time.
* On 20 December 2018 a
Gomair An-26 registration 9S-AGB crashed 19 nautical miles short of Kinshasa with 7 or 8 people on board. The aircraft was found more than 24 hours later by a local. The aircraft was carrying election materials on behalf of the Central Electoral National Independent Commission (CENI).
References
External links
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Airports in Kinshasa
Buildings and structures in Kinshasa
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command in Central and South Africa
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces
World War II airfields in the Belgian Congo
Space Shuttle Emergency Landing Sites