The short two lives of DRC carrier Lignes Aériennes Congolaises.

Before we get into what happened to Lignes Aériennes Congolese (LAC), it is best to differentiate between the former Belgian colony of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Congo, a former French colony. You may be more familiar with the name Zaire which the DRC was called from 1971 until 1997. General Mobutu Sese Seko, the country's ruler then, thought that the name Zaire sounded more African than the name the Belgians had given it.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world and one of the most dangerous. In comparison, the Republic of Congo, or Congo-Brazzaville, as it is also called, is a prosperous, stable country thanks to oil revenue.

In 1971 when the Democratic Republic of the Congo changed its name to Zaire, the county's national flag carrier changed its name from Air Congo to Air Zaire. Following years of mismanagement, Air Zaire declared bankruptcy on June 12, 1995.

With a market for flights between Kinshasa and Brussels, Belgium's national flag carrier Sabena entered into a partnership with the Zairian government to create a new airline. Lignes Aériennes Congolaises began operations in 1997 with flights from N'Djili International Airport (FIH) to the following destinations:

Lignes Aériennes Congolaises signed a codeshare agreement with Air Zimbabwe for flights between Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, and Harare - operated by Air Zimbabwe. The deal also allowed Air Zimbabwe to codeshare on Kinshasa–Brussels flights operated by Lignes Aériennes Congolaises.

In 1999 Lignes Aériennes Congolaises signed a contract with Melsbroek Airport (the other side of BRU)-based City Bird to wet lease a Boeing 767-300ER. A wet lease is when an airline provides the aircraft and crew to operate flights on another airline's behalf. In the case of the Lignes Aériennes Congolaises wet lease, City Bird was to fly the plane on the Kinshasa-Brussels route. The initial contract was for five years, but it ended up being scrapped seven months later after Lignes Aériennes Congolaises ceased operations. The airline was restarted for a short time in 2002, but less than a year later, it folded for good.

One notable incident involving a Lignes Aériennes Congolaises Boeing 727-30 happened on October 10, 1998. The 33-year-old plane had just taken off from Kindu Airport (KND) for a domestic flight to the capital Kinshasa. Three minutes into the flight, the plane was struck by a shoulder-fired Russian Strela 2 surface-to-air missile while still climbing. The captain attempted to return to Kindu but crashed in dense jungle, killing all 41 passengers and crew. Rebel forces claimed responsibility.

According to the aviation statistics and data website planespotters.net during its lifetime, the Lignes Aériennes Congolaises fleet comprised the following aircraft:

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Journalist - Mark is an experienced travel journalist having published work in the industry for more than seven years. His enthusiasm for aviation news and wealth of experience lends itself to some excellent insight, with his work cited in Forbes amongst other publications. Based in Alicante, Spain.

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