Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation
Regional airline from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation, branded as flyCAA, is a regional airline from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, based at N'djili Airport in Kinshasa.[1]
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| Founded | 1991 | ||||||
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Operating bases | N'djili Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | Lubumbashi International Airport | ||||||
| Horizons | |||||||
| Fleet size | 5 | ||||||
| Destinations | 11[1] | ||||||
| Headquarters | Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo | ||||||
| Key people | David Blattner Daniel Blattner | ||||||
| Website | caacongo.com | ||||||
History
Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation (CAA) was originally founded in 1991 and started operations on 26 December 1992.[2] In 2013, CAA merged with FlyCongo and formed flyCAA.[3][4]
In January 2016, the airline terminated their only international route to Johannesburg after failing to receive renewed traffic rights.[5] In 2020, the airline acquired an Airbus A330-200 with the stated intention of flying to Brussels, Belgium, which under current European Union restrictions would require CAA to operate the service using foreign registration and crew, as FlyCAA has been banned in the EU.[6][7]
On 29 August 2023, flyCAA passengers ended up having to take their trip by bus after multiple delays.[8] Also in 2023, flyCAA had multiple fare increases in the city of Mbuji-Mayi.[9] In Mbuji-Mayi, many passengers also began struggling to get plane tickets, and flyCAA and Congo Airways were overwhelmed as a result.[10]
In 2024, flyCAA expanded its fleet with a leased Boeing 767-200BDSF cargo aircraft.[11] In 2025, KF Aerospace bought a third ATR 72-500 from flyCAA.[12] flyCAA added an A321 freighter to boost cargo capacity[13] and reactivated its sole A330-300.[14] flyCAA also faced numerous cancellations in 2025 along with other carriers.[15]
Destinations
According to the August 2013[update] timetable, flyCAA operated scheduled flights to the following destinations.[16][needs update] As of 2024[update], they had downsized their network to 18 routes between 11 destinations.[1]
Fleet
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Current fleet
As of July 2026[update], FlyCAA operates the following aircraft:[17]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320 | 3 | — | 180 | |
| Airbus A321P2F | 1 | — | ||
| Airbus A330-300 | 1 | — | 406 | |
| Total | 5 | — | ||
Former fleet
As of November 2024[update], the flyCAA fleet consisted of the following aircraft: 3 Airbus A320, 1 Airbus A321P2F, 1 Airbus A330-200, 3 ATR 72-500, 1 Boeing 767-200BDSF and 3 Fokker 50[citation needed]
Previously, flyCAA also operated the following aircraft types:
| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A321-200 | 2016 |
2021 |
[citation needed] |
| Fokker 100 | 2011 |
2014 |
[citation needed] |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-81 | 2005 |
2010 |
[citation needed] |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 2008 |
2012 |
[citation needed] |
| Ilyushin Il-18 | unknown | unknown | [18] |
| Douglas DC-8 | unknown | unknown | [citation needed] |
Accidents and incidents
- On 1 April 1997, a Convair CV-580 (registered 9Q-CRU) was destroyed at Tshikapa Airport when it overshot the runway and hit an embankment following a failed take-off abortion. There were 14 occupants on board the scheduled flight to Mbuji-Mayi.[19]
- On 18 November 1999, another CV-580 (registered 9Q-CEJ) had to be written off following an off-airport emergency landing near Tshikapa due to an engine failure that had been encountered shortly into the flight to Kananga.[20]
- On 19 November 2009, Flight 3711 from Kinshasa overran the runway upon landing at Goma Airport. Of the 117 occupants on board the aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 registered 9Q-CAB, around 20 were injured.[21]
- On 2 January 2010, a cargo-configured Boeing 727 (registered 9Q-CAA) veered off the runway during an emergency landing attempt in heavy rain at N'djili Airport. Previously, the pilots had reported a loss of hydraulic pressure.[22]
- The only fatal accident involving an aircraft of Compagnie d'Aviation Africaine occurred on 4 March 2013, when a Fokker 50 (registered 9Q-CBD) crashed near Goma International Airport. Of the nine people who had been on the flight from Lodja, six were killed.[23]
- On 29 January 2023, an Airbus A320 departing from Mbuji Mayi dropped a part of the left elevator on departure. Everyone on board survived the incident.[24]
- On 16 August 2023, an Airbus A330 returned to Lubumbashi following an engine failure.[25]
