The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), under Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka, has revived its plans to establish a new national airline, “Air Congo SA.” During the 14th Council of Ministers meeting held on Friday, September 20, 2024, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, confirmed that the project, stalled since 2023, is back on track. The inaugural flight is scheduled for December 1, 2024.
Bemba announced that discussions for implementing the project resumed on September 13, 2024, with a technical meeting held in Kinshasa involving key stakeholders.
He noted that the process had been previously interrupted due to the 2023 electoral cycle and government focus on current affairs.
The project marks a strategic partnership between the DRC and Ethiopian Airlines, a collaboration first approved by the Council of Ministers during its 49th meeting in April 2022.
Under this agreement, the DRC holds a 51% stake in Air Congo, while Ethiopian Airlines owns 49%, with the project’s total investment amounting to USD 40 million.
The partnership was formalized with the signing of the constitutive act in Kinshasa on May 3, 2022.
The relaunch of Air Congo comes after the leasing contract between Kenya Airways and Congo Airways ended without renewal.
This contract, signed in April 2021, involved leasing two Embraer E190 aircraft and was witnessed by the then Presidents of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, and the DRC, Félix Tshisekedi. Kenya Airways has since repossessed the aircraft following the contract’s expiration.
The idea for Air Congo was initially introduced by Chérubin Okende, the former Minister of Transport, at the 49th Council of Ministers meeting in 2022.
The aim of the partnership with Ethiopian Airlines was to develop a safe, reliable, and viable national airline that could contribute to the growth of the DRC’s aviation sector.
Air Congo was designed to replace Congo Airways, which has struggled to regain operational stability despite government efforts to revitalize it.
As Air Congo prepares for its inaugural flight, the revival of the project signals a renewed push by the DRC government to enhance air transport in the country through a majority state-owned national carrier.
