Korongo Airlines

Korongo Airlines was a regional airline of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, headquartered in Lubumbashi and based at Lubumbashi International Airport. The carrier was created in 2009 as a Belgian-backed attempt to establish a reliable regional feeder and domestic airline in a market where air transport was strategically important but regulatory, infrastructure, and safety conditions were difficult. Its name referred to the Swahili term for large migrating birds. The project grew out of Brussels Airlines’ earlier effort to create a Congolese regional operator. That earlier initiative, known as airDC, had been established in 2007 with Hewa Bora Airways, with plans to use BAe 146 aircraft transferred by Brussels Airlines. The project was postponed after concerns about aviation safety and regulatory oversight in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the consequences of the 2008 Hewa Bora Airways Flight 122 accident. The airDC plan was ultimately abandoned. Korongo represented a new attempt, with a different ownership and operating structure. Airbel, a Belgian holding company, owned 70% of Korongo Airlines. Airbel was owned by Brussels Airlines and Forrest Group, while local Congolese investors held the remaining 30% of the airline. George Arthur Forrest, the Belgian entrepreneur associated with Forrest Group, served as chairman. Unlike the earlier Kinshasa-centered airDC proposal, Korongo was based in Lubumbashi, an important commercial and mining center in the southeastern part of the country. The launch encountered repeated delays. Revenue flights were initially expected in 2010, then moved to 2011 and again to 2012 as the company faced approval and administrative difficulties with Congolese authorities. Korongo received its airline licence on 12 January 2012 and approval for commercial revenue services on 23 February. Scheduled operations began on 16 April 2012 with flights between Lubumbashi and Kinshasa. The network was later expanded to include Mbuji-Mayi and Johannesburg, linking major Congolese cities with South Africa. The airline’s business model depended on scheduled regional traffic rather than a large fleet or extensive long-haul network. Its services connected Lubumbashi with Kinshasa, Mbuji-Mayi, and Johannesburg, and were intended to support business, governmental, and regional travel. As of 2013, the airline operated with a very small fleet centered on a Boeing 737-300. This limited scale also left the company vulnerable when its only aircraft became unavailable. Korongo’s operating environment remained challenging. Congolese carriers faced significant regulatory scrutiny, and the country’s aviation oversight problems had contributed to restrictions on Congolese airlines operating in Europe. In April 2011, Korongo was placed on the European Union Air Safety List in connection with the restrictions applying to carriers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and maintenance work performed in the country. The listing did not by itself determine the airline’s entire commercial performance, but it reflected the difficult regulatory context in which the company operated. On 19 August 2015, the airline’s Boeing 737-300, registered as OO-LTM and operated on behalf of Korongo, was damaged at Mbuji-Mayi during landing. The damage affected the horizontal stabilizer and was attributed to poor runway pavement conditions. With only one aircraft in its fleet, the incident materially disrupted the carrier’s ability to maintain scheduled service. On 4 September 2015, the investors decided to stop flight operations and dissolve the company. Contemporary accounts identified weak reservations and competition from the newly established Congo Airways as additional factors. Although the carrier reportedly achieved a 70% load factor, that level was not sufficient to sustain operations under the company’s financial and operational circumstances. Korongo Airlines therefore became a short-lived regional brand, operating scheduled services for roughly three years before its liquidation.

Brussels Airlines began exploring the creation of a regional Congolese carrier in 2007. Its first initiative, airDC, was formed as a joint venture with Hewa Bora Airways and was intended to begin services from Kinshasa using BAe 146-200 aircraft supplied by Brussels Airlines. The project became uncertain after the 2008 Hewa Bora Airways Flight 122 accident highlighted serious concerns about aviation safety in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Hewa Bora was subsequently barred from operating in the European Union, and the airDC plan was postponed and eventually abandoned. A second project was launched in 2009. Korongo Airlines was established with Airbel holding 70% of the shares. Airbel was owned by Brussels Airlines and Forrest Group, while local Congolese investors held the remaining 30%. Forrest Group chairman George Arthur Forrest served as Korongo’s chairman. The airline was headquartered in Lubumbashi rather than Kinshasa and used Lubumbashi International Airport as its base. Its intended role was to provide regional connectivity within the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to support links with Brussels Airlines’ broader Congolese market. The planned start date moved several times, from 2010 to 2011 and then to 2012, largely because of regulatory and administrative resistance or delays. On 20 April 2011, Korongo was included on the European Union Air Safety List in the context of restrictions affecting Congolese carriers and maintenance activities in the country. The company nevertheless progressed toward launch, receiving its airline licence on 12 January 2012 and approval for commercial revenue operations on 23 February. Korongo began flying on 16 April 2012 with a scheduled Lubumbashi–Kinshasa service. It subsequently added domestic flights to Mbuji-Mayi and international regional service to Johannesburg. The carrier operated on a small scale and relied on a very limited fleet. By June 2013, its fleet included a Boeing 737-300, registration OO-LTM, operated for the airline by Brussels Airlines. The airline’s final period was shaped by both market pressure and operational fragility. On 19 August 2015, OO-LTM was damaged during landing at Mbuji-Mayi after encountering poor runway pavement. Because the aircraft was the only aircraft in the fleet, the incident sharply affected the airline’s ability to continue scheduled operations. On 4 September 2015, Korongo’s investors decided to stop flight operations and dissolve the company. The reported reasons included insufficient reservations, the aircraft incident, and competition from Congo Airways, which had recently entered the Congolese market. Korongo Airlines consequently ceased to exist as an operating carrier in 2015.

• 2015

  Flight operations cease

  [1]Korongo Airlinesen.wikipedia.org

  Investors discontinued operations and decided to dissolve the company on 4 September after aircraft damage, weak reservations, and increased competition.

• 2012

  Airline licence and commercial approval obtained

  [1]Korongo Airlinesen.wikipedia.org

  Korongo received its airline licence in January and approval for commercial revenue flights in February.

• 2012

  Scheduled operations begin

  [1]Korongo Airlinesen.wikipedia.org

  The airline launched its first scheduled service between Lubumbashi and Kinshasa on 16 April.

• 2011

  Korongo is placed on the European Union Air Safety List

  [1]Korongo Airlinesen.wikipedia.org

  The airline was added to the EU Air Safety List amid wider restrictions concerning Congolese air carriers and maintenance oversight.

• 2009

  Korongo Airlines is founded

  [1]Korongo Airlinesen.wikipedia.org

  Korongo Airlines was established with Belgian holding-company backing, Forrest Group participation, and local Congolese investors.

• 2007

  Brussels Airlines begins developing a Congolese regional carrier

  [1]Korongo Airlinesen.wikipedia.org

  Brussels Airlines began work on a regional airline project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, initially through the airDC proposal.

A Belgian-backed, locally based regional airline intended to improve scheduled air connectivity within the Democratic Republic of the Congo and between the country and neighboring South Africa.

• Passenger aviation · 2012

  Domestic scheduled passenger flights

  Korongo operated scheduled services connecting cities within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its documented domestic network included the Lubumbashi base, Kinshasa, and Mbuji-Mayi. These routes formed the core of the airline’s regional connectivity proposition.

• International regional aviation · 2012

  Johannesburg regional service

  The airline expanded beyond the Congolese domestic market with scheduled flights between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Johannesburg, South Africa. The route connected its Lubumbashi base with a major regional commercial center.

• 2015

  Discontinue operations and dissolve the companyStrategy

  Background

  The airline faced insufficient reservations, damage to its only aircraft, and competition from the newly established Congo Airways.

  Action taken

  Investors decided on 4 September 2015 to end flight operations and liquidate the company.

  Aftermath

  Korongo Airlines ceased operating as a scheduled carrier and its brand became defunct.

  Source

• 2012

  Launch scheduled Lubumbashi–Kinshasa operationsProduct launch

  Background

  Korongo received its airline licence in January and commercial-flight approval in February after repeated postponements.

  Action taken

  The airline began revenue service on 16 April 2012 and later expanded its scheduled network to Mbuji-Mayi and Johannesburg.

  Aftermath

  Korongo operated as a small regional scheduled carrier until its 2015 liquidation.

  Source

• 2009

  Establish a Lubumbashi-based regional carrierStrategy

  Background

  After the earlier airDC project was abandoned, Brussels Airlines and its partners pursued a new Congolese airline structure centered on Lubumbashi.

  Action taken

  Korongo Airlines was formed with Airbel as majority shareholder, Forrest Group participation, and local Congolese investors.

  Aftermath

  The new airline eventually obtained approval and began scheduled services in 2012 after several launch delays.

  Source

1. 1Korongo Airlinesen.wikipedia.org