Overview 

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The Autorité de l’Aviation Civile de la République Démocratique du Congo (AAC /RDC) is the national regulatory authority in charge of the regulations, supervision and control of civil aviation activities in accordance with the principles of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).  
 
Furthermore, the Régie des Voies Aériennes (RVA) is a state-owned technical and commercial corporation established by Ordinance-Law No. 72-013 of 21 February 1972 that manages 53 airports as of August 2022. It is responsible for designing, building, developing, maintaining and operating the airports, managing DRC’s airspace and ensuring air navigation safety. It is also responsible for the commercial exploitation of airport equipment and facilities and training its staff. 

• Four International airports: Kinshasa N’djili, Goma, Lubumbashi Luano and Kisangani 

• Sixteen National airports: Mbuji-Mayi, Bukavu, Kananga, Kinshasa N’dolo, Mbandaka, Bandundu, Bunia, Gemena, Isiro, Kalemie, Kindu, Kolwezi, Lodja, Mwanda, Gbadolite, Tshikapa 

• Thirty-three aerodromes 

The air transport sector is not reliable with a dilapidated airport infrastructure system, which requires public and private investment for rehabilitation. Thus, the government is committed to modernizing this sector with the objective of meeting ICAO aviation safety standards through past and ongoing improvements plans such as the following. 

Two aviation safety projects funded by the Groupe de la Banque Africaine de Development (BAD) with the past 2010 - 2015 Projet Prioritaire de Sécurité Aérienne Phase 1 (PPSA I) and the ongoing 2018-2022 Projet Prioritaire de Sécurité Aérienne Phase 2 (PPSA II). Those two projects included construction and renovation works of airport control towers, construction of fire stations and safety fences, acquisition of firefighting and rescue vehicles and airport security equipment (Kinshasa N’djili, Kisangani, Lubumbashi Luano, Kindu & Mbuji-Mayi) 

The Projet d'Amélioration de la Sécurité à l'Aéroport de Goma (PASAG) managed by the Cellule d’Exécution du Projet du Transport Multimodal (CEPTM) with fundings from the DRC government and the World Bank. Amongst others, it resulted in the building of a new tower control in Goma inaugurated in November 2021, the rehabilitation of the runway (up to a length of 3000 m), and improvement of the airstrip lights.  

Goma Airport: a new tower control in November 2021 that complies with international aeronautic standards 

For the government, improving the air transport sector will open the country both externally and internally to boost the local economy and to increase the regional trade. Through public and institutional investments, DRC also wants to normalize the air traffic by ensuring the safety of air navigation and aeronautical security and help get the country's airlines off the European Union (EU) blacklist. In this regard, DRC and Ethiopian Air Lines are negotiating a  partnership to create a new air company called Air Congo (7 aircrafts, maintenance program and capacity building).The current national airline company Congo Airways is currently operating only an aircraft type A320-200 to cover its domestic network, as three other aircrafts are still under maintenance.  

There are numerous private airlines operating in DRC but many of them are banned for transporting staff by UN agencies and most INGOs. The main reason is the still alarming accident record due to disrespect of international aviation standards in-country. Thus, United Nation Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) is operating in the whole country with nine aircraft and took over the management of Echo Flight in 2020 (one aircraft and one helicopter).  

For more information, contact details and routes, please visit  here the DRC Cluster Logistics website. 

For more information on government agency and airport company contact information, please see the following links: 4.1 Government Contact List and 4.5 Airport Companies Contact List . 

Aviation taxes for passengers

In 2009, the RVA introduced a tax to fund the rehabilitation of airport infrastructures through the Redevance de Développement des Infrastructures Aéroportuaires (IDEF) also called GO PASS. 

Current rates are: 

• 10 USD per passenger when embarking for a national flight  

• 50 USD per passenger when embarking for an international flight 

Additional taxes when applicable: 

• Tax from the provincial transport authorities (starting from 5 USD) 

• Statistics tax (in some airports): 5 USD 

Procedures for Foreign Registered Aircraft 

The request must comply with AAA/RDC ‘s procedures in force as described below to grant an official registration and authorization to operate in DRC. The process is led by the Direction du Transport Aérien (DTA) and may also involve additional national authorities such as DGM (Direction Générale de Migration), SCS (Service du Conseiller Spécial), and Ministère de la Défense Nationale or ARN (Agence Nationale de Renseignement ).