Air Congo will begin operating flights from Brussels Airport in early July. This will also bring an end to Brussels Airlines’ more than 15-year monopoly on the Brussels-Kinshasa route.
The news was reported by flightlevel.be and has also been confirmed by the Federal Public Service Mobility. Air Congo intends to operate five flights per week in both directions.
Rapid growth
According to the Federal Public Service Mobility, the Directorate-General for Civil Aviation is currently still awaiting Air Congo’s flight schedule to approve those flights. The flight schedule is like that of Brussels Airlines: departure from Kinshasa at 10 p.m., arrival in Brussels at 7 a.m., and a return flight departing at 10 a.m. and arriving in Kinshasa shortly after 5 p.m. The flights would be operated with aircraft from Ethiopian Airlines, a major shareholder in Air Congo.
Air Congo, founded in December 2024, has the Congolese government as its majority shareholder (51%) and Ethiopian Airlines, the largest and most successful airline group in Africa, as its partner (49%). Despite its recent establishment, it has already captured 43% of the domestic market in the DRC, with an average load factor of approximately 70%.
The airline started with two Boeing 737-800 aircraft and took delivery of a third Boeing in early 2026. To efficiently serve smaller and more remote domestic airports in the DRC, the airline has leased new, fuel-efficient ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft through Ethiopian Airlines.
About five destinations in Africa
Air Congo now connects Kinshasa with the country’s major economic hubs, including Lubumbashi, Goma, Kisangani, Mbujimayi, Kananga, Kindu, Kolwezi, and Bukavu. But it has also expanded its operations to the rest of the continent. Since March/April 2026, they have been flying to Johannesburg (South Africa), Entebbe (Uganda), Douala (Cameroon), Cotonou (Benin), and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania).
With Brussels Airport, the first major intercontinental step is now within reach. In addition to Brussels in 2025, approximately 85,150 passengers flew round-trip on the route between Belgium and the DRC, 40% of whom traveled point-to-point. Air Congo’s long-term plan also includes other major intercontinental hubs, such as Paris and Dubai.
It is no coincidence that Air Congo has captured such a large market share in such a short time. The historic national carrier, Congo Airways, has been struggling for years with severe financial crises, mismanagement, and a fleet that was largely grounded due to overdue maintenance.
