Air Zaïre

Air Zaire was set up in 1961 under the name Air Congo by the Congolese government and SABENA.

History

Air Congo began services in a close partnership with SABENA which had been serving the Belgian colony of Congo since the 1930s with DC-3s, DC-4s, and DC-6s. Many of those types were inherited by Air Congo and were used for internal services and for flights to neighboring countries.Air Congo also used the Beech 18 and the Curtis C-46. A Boeing 707 was used for services to Brussels, Rome, and Paris until 1963. The 707 was replaced by a Douglas DC-8 with more capacity. In 1965, Air Congo became independent of SABENA and acquired two SE 210 Caravelles in 1967.

Because of technical difficulties experienced by Air Congo, a partnership was established with Pan American from which Air Congo acquired further DC-8s.

In 1971 the Congo changed its name to Zaire and the national airline was renamed Air Zaire. In 1973, Air Zaire acquired its first widebody aircraft, a DC-10-30. The DC-3s, which were still in service, were replaced with the F-27 Friendship, of which eight were bought. Further fleet modernization saw the Boeing 737-200 enter service.

Due to mounting losses due to mismanagement and corruption and after undergoing several regorganizations in the 1980s, Air Zaire ceased operations in 1994 and was declared bankrupt.

Codes

*IATA Code: 9Q
*ICAO Code: AZR
*Call sign: Air Zaire

Destinations

Europe:
*Athens, Greece
*Madrid, Spain
*Paris, France
*London, England
*Brussels, Belgium
*Rome, Italy
*Geneva, Switzerland

Africa:
*Dakar, Senegal
*Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
*Lomé, Togo
*Lagos, Nigeria
*Douala, Cameroon
*Entebbe, Uganda
*Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
*Nairobi, Kenya
*Bujumbura, Burundi
*Libreville, Gabon

Domestic:
*Lubumbashi
*Goma
*Isiro
*Kinshasa
*Kisangani
*Mbuji-Mayi
*Bukavu

Historical Fleet Information

*6 - Douglas DC-3
*6 - Douglas DC-4
*2 - C-54 Skymaster
*2 - Douglas DC-6
*1 - Douglas DC-8-31
*2 - Douglas DC-8-32
*1 - Douglas DC-8-42
*1 - Douglas DC-8-63CF
*3 - Douglas DC-10-30
*8 - Fokker F27-600 "Friendship"
*2 - SE-210 Caravelle
*1 - Boeing 737-275C
*1 - Boeing 737-296C
*4 - Boeing 737-298C
*1 - Boeing 737-300
*1 - Boeing 747-121
*note - some of these aircraft belonged to Air Congo before the name change.

Accidents/Incidents

*On January 9, 1975 an Air Zaire F-27, registration 9Q-CLM while landing at the BoendeAirport (BNB), landed too far down the runway, crossed a road and crashed down hill coming to rest 100m past the runway end. One child was killed on the road. Some sources claim the accident happened on January 7, 1975.

*On 13 March 1976, an F-27, registration 9Q-CLO, while on the ground at Gago Coutinho, Angola was fired upon by a flight of four Cuban Air Force MiG-21MF planes, which was attacking the UNITA aerodrome at Gago Coutinho. The F-27 was struck by an S-24 unguided rocket, fired by one of the planes.

*On 6 Jan 1978 another F-27, registration 9Q-CLR while taking off from the Kisangani airport crashed shortly after take-off from Kisangani runway 28 and caught fire. The crew of 3 was lost in this accident and the aircraft written off.

*On 8 February 1980, an F-27, registration 9Q-CLP with a crew of 3, after a simulated engine failure on take-off, the aircraft went into a spin at 250-400 feet altitude, crashed and caught fire. All crew members died in the accident.

External links

* [http://aviation-safety.net/database/operator/airline.php?var=6692 Aviation Safety Net]
* [http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Air%20Zaire.htm/ Air Zaire fleet information]
* [http://www.angelfire.com/fl/tonyedlind/AirZaire.html/ Air Zaire complete fleet information]