DRC inaugurates renovated runway at Kinshasa-Ndolo airport
Built in 1924 and paved in 1942, Ndolo airport is the second hub of the capital Kinshasa. Over the years, the infrastructure for civilian and military use has become decrepit. Faced with numerous complaints from the companies that serve it, the Congolese authorities have made its rehabilitation a priority.
The renovated runway at Kinshasa-Ndolo national airport is ready for use. The 1,650-metre long and 30-metre wide runway was inaugurated on Saturday 2 July 2022 by the Head of State Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo.
For the occasion, one of the LET 410s of the local company Kin Avia made the first landing there since the renovation. Launched on 23 December 2021, the work consisted of stripping the existing pavement of the main runway, supplying missing paving stones, laying the runway, and supplying the new dense surface course (5 centimetres thick).
The President also launched work to modernise the terminal building. The project, entrusted to the company Malta Forest, is 100% financed by the Congolese government, through the Régie des voies aériennes (RVA), thanks to resources commonly known as "go pass". Its execution cost is USD 5,802,189.66. Kinshasa-Ndolo airport, built in 1924 and paved in 1942, has never been renovated in the century of its existence.
The rehabilitation of the terminal will be carried out simultaneously with the renewal of the control tower equipment, which began on 16 May, after the civil engineering work that enabled the development of the technical block and the lookout. Kinshasa-Ndolo airport, which only receives light aircraft (less than 15,000 kg), is the second largest in the Congolese capital, after Kinshasa-N'Djili.
Speaking on the occasion of the launch of the terminal, the Minister of Transport, Communication Roads and Opening-up said that it is imperative to rethink the transport system of the DRC, which dates from long ago. According to Cherubin Okende, this ambition, which requires huge investments, will help boost the country's economy and trade with other nations
