CONGO Airways is planning to launch
a multi-weekly flight from Kinshasa to
Johannesburg from November 1, ceo
of the airline, Désiré Balazire Bantu,
told TNW.
The airline will deploy an A320-200
on the route, with 10 seats in business
class and 150 in economy.
The flag carrier of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo started
operations in October last year with
eight domestic routes. Ownership
of the airline is divided between
government and local and international
investors. Désiré says the service to
Johannesburg will mark the airline’s
international debut.
According to Andries Ntjane, deputy
director: licensing and permits of
the SA Department of Transport, the
airline has yet to apply for a licence to
operate on the route to OR Tambo. He
says, however, that this is not a timeconsuming
process and that the airline
could still obtain a licence in
time for its planned launch in
November.
For next year, Congo Airways
is also looking at launching
flights to Angola, Ethiopia,
Kenya, Nigeria and the Ivory
Coast. The airline announced
its international expansion
plans after it secured its Air
Operators Certificate (AOC)
just a few months ago.
However, despite the
fact that the airline says
it will focus on innovation
and excellence and that it
integrates all the international
safety measures, Congo
Airways is currently blacklisted
and banned from operating in
the European Union.
For South African travel
agents, the EU ban is a
reason for concern. Rachael
Penaluna, business manager
of Sure Maritime Travel, says:
“My concern is that all Congo
and DRC airlines are under
question by the EU and most
are blacklisted. From a duty-ofcare
perspective, we would not
encourage clients to travel on
Congo Airways if an alternative
route was available on a more
reputable airline.”
SAA currently operates six
times a week to Kinshasa,
using a Boeing 737. Rachael
says her clients are likely to
opt for SAA for safety reasons,
even if Congo Airways were to
offer more affordable fares.
