Passengers on an Air Congo flight experienced significant disruption at Kindu Airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after being left waiting inside the aircraft for hours. Frustrated by the delay, several individuals jumped from the main door a drop of approximately 5-6 feet to the tarmac, as mobile stairs were unavailable.
A video of the incident, filmed at night, quickly went viral on X (formerly Twitter). Posted by aviation account @fl360aero, it shows passengers being assisted as they leap from the open aircraft door.
Replies in the comment sectiommentioned concerns over safety, particularly for elderly passengers or those with mobility issues, describing the event as a clear "paxex" (passenger experience) failure in remote airports.
Background on Kindu Airport and DRC Aviation Challenges
Kindu Airport located in Maniema Province, serves as a key regional hub in eastern DRC but suffers from limited infrastructure. Many secondary airports in the country, including Kindu, face chronic issues such as outdated facilities, lack of ground equipment like passenger stairs, and maintenance delays problems exacerbated by the DRC's vast size, ongoing conflicts and historical underinvestment.
Air Congo, the DRC's new national flag carrier launched in December 2024 in partnership with Ethiopian Airlines, operates domestic routes to connect remote areas. While the airline aims to improve connectivity, incidents like this underscore persistent ground handling deficiencies at smaller airports.
Broader Context: Aviation Safety in the DRC in 2025
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has faced multiple aviation incidents in 2025, including runway excursions and gear collapses, though this Kindu event appears to be a ground operations issue rather than a crash. Ongoing modernization efforts, supported by international partners, seek to address infrastructure gaps, but challenges remain in remote provinces.10 Keywords for the Story
