Goma International Airport

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Goma Airport
Goma Airport Shevelev-1.jpg
Mount Nyiragongo at the background
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorGovernment
LocationGoma, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Elevation AMSL5,046 ft / 1,538 m
Coordinates01°40′15.08″S 29°14′18.25″E / 1.6708556°S 29.2384028°E / -1.6708556; 29.2384028
Map
GOM is located in Democratic Republic of the Congo
GOM
GOM
Location of Goma International Airport in DRC
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
17/35 2,000 6,562 Asphalt
Source: Regie des Voies Aériennes[1]
‡ Operable runway length per national aviation authority

Goma International Airport (IATA: GOM, ICAO: FZNA) is an airport serving Goma, a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa.

Airlines and destinations[]

AirlinesDestinations
Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation Beni, Bunia, Kavumu, Kindu, Kinshasa–N'djili, Kisangani
Congo Airways Kindu, Kinshasa–N'djili,[2] Kisangani
Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa[3]
JambojetNairobi[4]

Military use[]

Goma International Airport is used by both the Air Force of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and MONUSCO peacekeeping forces.[5]

2002 Nyiragongo eruption in DRC[]

Further information: Mount Nyiragongo 2002 eruption
The runway covered in lava after the 2002 eruption

Initially built with a paved 3000 m runway and a large terminal and apron, the airport has not recovered from the 2002 eruption of the volcano Nyiragongo, 14 km to the north. The airport couldn't handle any wide-bodied aircraft except for freight operations run by relief agencies and the United Nations. A stream of fluid lava 200 m by 1000 m wide flowed onto the runway and through the city center as far as the lake shore, covering over the northern 1000 m of the runway and isolating the terminal and apron which were only connected by taxiway to the northern end. The lava can easily be seen in satellite photographs,[6] and aircraft can be seen using the 2000 m southern section of the runway which is clear of lava. A temporary apron was made at the side of the operational part of the runway. A Douglas DC-8 was left stranded on the terminal apron, which is now used by commercial passengers and the military. In December 2012, a contractor began work on cleaning up and fencing in the airport.[7] In February 2017, satellite imagery showed the runway has not yet been repaired where the lava damage occurred.[8]

2021 Nyiragongo eruption in DRC[]

Further information: 2021 Mount Nyiragongo eruption

News reports first indicated that lava from the 2021 Mount Nyiragongo eruption reached the airport.[9] It was later confirmed that the airport was unaffected.[10]

Accidents and incidents[]

  • On 15 April 2008, 2008 Hewa Bora Airways crash, a Hewa Bora Airways McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 (registration 9Q-CHN) overshot the runway during an aborted takeoff and crashed into the marketplace immediately to the south of the airport, killing 3 passengers and 37 people on ground.[11]
  • On 19 November 2009, Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation Flight 3711, operated by McDonnell Douglas MD-82 (registration 9Q-CAB) bound from Kinshasa overran the runway on landing, suffering substantial damage.[12] The overrun area was contaminated by solidified lava.[13]
  • On 4 March 2013, 2013 Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation crash, a Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation Fokker 50 (registration 9Q-CBD) from Lodja crashed short of landing in heavy rain, into a residential area at 17:55 local time.[14][15][16] Among the 9 crew and passengers, 6 were killed.
  • On 24 November 2019, 2019 Busy Bee crash, a 19-seat airplane from local carrier Busy Bee en route to Beni Airport crashed shortly after takeoff around 9:10 a.m. At least 27 died, including some on the ground.[17]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Informations sur les 54 Aérports et Aérodromes Gérés par la RVA" [Information about the 54 Airports and Aerodromes operated by the RVA] (PDF) (in French). Regie des Voies Aériennes. 30 September 2009. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  2. ^ HORAIRE AVEC 1 Q400 DU 06/06 AU 10/07/2016 (Heures locales), http://www.congoairways.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/HORAIRE-1-Q400-2016-V2.0-ok.pdf[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "Ethiopian Airlines Delays Goma Launch to August 2015". Airline Route. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Jambojet destinations Goma". Jambojet. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  5. ^ Fittarelli, Alberto (26 June 2017). "The Strange Tale of the Georgians in Congo". bellingcat. Retrieved 26 June 2017. However, a list published in October 2007 by the Dutch aviation magazine Scramble appears to show that on 19 July 2007, two Mi-24V helicopters with registration number 9T-HM11 and, more importantly, 9T-HM12 were registered, again by the FAC (here named "DR Congo Air Force"), as based at an airport with IATA code GOM – a.k.a. Goma International Airport [...] No evidence of affiliation with the MONUSCO operations under UNSC resolution 2098 was located, despite the pilots clearly operating from the same facilities – most notably, Goma International Airport.
  6. ^ Google Earth has high resolution photographs showing the affected part of the airport at coordinates −1.658, 29.237. Retrieved 3 September 2007.
  7. ^ "MONUSCO is building security fence around Goma airport" (Press release). MONUSCO. 12 January 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  8. ^ HOTOSM Imagery, retrieved 14 March 2017
  9. ^ "Volcano erupts in eastern Congo, thousands flee Goma". Reuters. 22 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  10. ^ "DR Congo's Goma volcano: 'I couldn't save my sick husband from the lava'". BBC News. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Aviation Safety Network.
  12. ^ David Kaminsky-Morrow (19 November 2009). "Congolese MD-82 badly damaged in Goma overrun". Flight Global.
  13. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
  14. ^ "Dozens killed in DRC plane crash". News24. 4 March 2013.
  15. ^ "RDC : un avion de la compagnie CAA s'est écrasé à Goma" (in French). Radio Okapi. 4 March 2013.
  16. ^ "Plane crash in the city of Goma, MONUSCO comes to the rescue". MONUSCO. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  17. ^ "Plane Crash in Congo Kills at Least 27". The New York Times. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.

External links[]

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