Kisangani Simisini Air Base is a military airport in the city of
Kisangani
Kisangani (formerly Stanleyville or Stanleystad) is the capital of Tshopo province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the fifth most populous urban area in the country, with an estimated population of 1,312,000 in 2021, and the larg ...
, capital of the
Tshopo Province
Tshopo is one of the 21 new provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo created in the 2015 repartitioning. It is situated in the north central part of the country on the Tshopo River, for which it is named.
Tshopo, Bas-Uele, Haut-Ue ...
of 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 ...
.
Located in the western portion of Kisangani, north of the
Congo River
The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharg ...
, most of its traffic has moved to
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 ...
. The airport is now a military airfield, though it also serves humanitarian flights and some private operations.
The Bangoka
VOR-DME
In radio navigation, a VOR/DME is a radio beacon that combines a VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) with a distance-measuring equipment (DME). The VOR allows the receiver to measure its bearing to or from the beacon, while the DME provides the sla ...
(Ident: KGI) and
non-directional beacon
A non-directional beacon (NDB) or non-directional radio beacon is a radio beacon which does not include directional information. Radio beacons are radio transmitters at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. NDB are ...
(Ident: KIS) are located respectively east of the airport, at the Bangoka International Airport.
History
As Kisangani Ville Airport, it was the original airport of the city, then named Stanleyville. In the turbulent times of Congo's independence and the subsequent struggles, it was the city's only airport, and was the scene of severe fighting during the
Simba Rebellion
The Simba rebellion, also known as the Orientale revolt, was a regional uprising which took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1963 and 1965 in the wider context of the Congo Crisis and the Cold War. The rebellion, located in ...
and the associated
Operation Dragon Rouge
__NOTOC__
Operation Dragon Rouge was a hostage rescue operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo conducted by Belgium and the United States in 1964. The operation was led by the Belgian Paracommando Regiment to rescue hostages held by Si ...
in 1964.
See also
*
*
*
Transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ground transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has always been difficult. The terrain and climate of the Congo Basin present serious barriers to road and rail construction, and the distances are enormous across this vast country ...
*
List of airports in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
This is a list of airports in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, sorted by location.
Airports
Airport names shown in bold indicate the airport has scheduled service on commercial airlines.
See also
* Transport in the Democratic Republic ...
References
External links
OpenStreetMap - Kisangani Simisini Airport
Airports in Tshopo
Buildings and structures in Kisangani
{{DRCongo-airport-stub