Goma International Airport

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

Goma Airport

Aéroport international de Goma
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
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

History
Further information: Mount Nyiragongo 2002 eruption
Further information: 2021 Mount Nyiragongo 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,[2] 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.[3] In February 2017, satellite imagery showed the runway had not yet been repaired where the lava damage occurred.[4] Repairs were started during 2019 and completed by August 2020 according to satellite imagery from Google.

News reports first indicated that lava from the 2021 Mount Nyiragongo eruption reached the airport.[5] It was later confirmed that the airport was unaffected.[6]

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation Beni, Bunia, Kavumu, Kindu, Kinshasa–N'djili, Kisangani
Congo Airways Kindu, Kinshasa–N'djili,[7] Kisangani
Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa[8]
JambojetNairobi–Jomo Kenyatta[9]
RwandAirKigali[10]

Military use

Goma International Airport is used by both the Air Force of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and MONUSCO peacekeeping forces.[11]

Accidents and incidents
  • 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.[18]

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. Google Earth has high resolution photographs showing the affected part of the airport at coordinates −1.658, 29.237. Retrieved 3 September 2007.
  3. "MONUSCO is building security fence around Goma airport" (Press release). MONUSCO. 12 January 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  4. HOTOSM Imagery, retrieved 14 March 2017
  5. "Volcano erupts in eastern Congo, thousands flee Goma". Reuters. 22 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  6. "DR Congo's Goma volcano: 'I couldn't save my sick husband from the lava'". BBC News. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  7. 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%5B%5D
  8. "Ethiopian Airlines Delays Goma Launch to August 2015". Airline Route. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  9. "Jambojet destinations Goma". Jambojet. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  10. "The Most Notable New Airline Routes This Week". 19 October 2021.
  11. 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.
  12. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Aviation Safety Network.
  13. David Kaminsky-Morrow (19 November 2009). "Congolese MD-82 badly damaged in Goma overrun". Flight Global.
  14. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
  15. "Dozens killed in DRC plane crash". News24. 4 March 2013.
  16. "RDC : un avion de la compagnie CAA s'est écrasé à Goma" (in French). Radio Okapi. 4 March 2013.
  17. "Plane crash in the city of Goma, MONUSCO comes to the rescue". MONUSCO. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  18. "Plane Crash in Congo Kills at Least 27". The New York Times. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
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