fasty From Belgium, joined Oct 2010, 36 posts, RR: 0 Posted (10 months 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 7415 times:
FOREWORD
DR Congo is one of the widest countries in Africa and yet is it also one (if not the one) with the poorest infrastructure.
Most roads are in terrible condition, railway is dying (it requires for instance approx 3 weeks to cover the 800km separing Lubumbashi from Kalemie in Katanga) and although providing a few viable pathways, rivers do not cover enough of the country and are not particularly fast for the average traveler.
Flying is therefore the only fast and reliable way to go from A to B in the DRC. Unfortunately, although a hundred times safer than cars or boats, planes have their share of accidents, most of them being fatal. Only to mention the few most recent ones :
The crash of a Boeing 727 of flag carrier Hewa Bora Airways killed 74 people in Kisangani in July 2011
A private Gulfstream crashed in Bukavu in February 2012, killing 5 people among which one of the highest figure of the Congolese state, Augustin Katumba Mwanke
A Let-410 of company Filair crashed in Bandundu In August 2010, allegedly because a crocodile escaped from a bag and created panic among the passengers (you can see such things only in Congo)
Another Hewa Bora aircraft, a DC-9 crashed in Goma just after takeoff, killing at least 80 people in 2008
On April 2010 an Hewa Bora MD-82 burst a tyre when trying to take off from N’djili airport (Kinshasa). There was no victim.
Real causes are usually unknown due to a lack of proper investigations, but poor maintenance, outdated aircrafts, inadequate airport infrastructures, untrained staff and, above all, disastrous politics and widespread corruption are the main factors.
As a resident of DRC, I had however no other choice than using those companies for my domestic flights, and after having flown a lot on companies such as Hewa Bora (you can see a trip report about this), CAA, Air Tropiques, Congo Express etc, I am still alive. That being said, leaving for a trip always creates a bit of stress, you never know …
2 years ago, news started popping up that a new company, named Korongo, born from the ashes of AirDC, would start operating domestic as well as international flights out of Lubumbashi, the second city in DRC. Korongo, named after a Swahili bird, would be a joint venture between Brussels Airlines and powerful local businessman George Forrest. They were claiming they would offer safe alternatives to other companies by operating modern aircrafts and complying with IOSA, IATA, EASI and the like.
I was very skeptical as I had seen so many similar projects born and quickly dead. And indeed, one year later, there was still no evidence of an imminent start. Although aircrafts were ready (2 B737 and one BAe146, all leased from SN) and staff was hired, Congolese Aviation Authority didn’t seem ready to provide the required authorizations.
As we were losing hope, we gradually noticed changes in Lubumbashi airport. Runway refection (which was going on for ages) suddenly started accelerating. New navigation devices were placed, ground lighting was renewed and training was provided for airport ground staff. A big maintenance hangar was also under construction.
Rumors were spreading everywhere that the company would start soon and then, that was it. A launching event was held in Lubumbashi and the first flight to Kinshasa was officially announced for 17th April along with a promotional fare.
Inaugural flight for JNB was to follow 3 days later at another promotional fare of 520 USD return.
Till now, SAA had the monopoly on the FBM-JNB route, and this allowed them to offer full inventory of Y booking class (Economy Full Fare) on that route, to an insane price of 1500 USD.
As I was planning to escape to South Africa for a few days, and I was very curious to try this new and so promising company, this was an occasion not to miss !
So I got our tickets in no time and off we were, my wife and myself, curious about what was expecting us.
Do you want to know if Korongo kept her promises of a safe, efficient and reliable mean of transportation ? Then read my below 5th trip report !
TO THE AIRPORT
First of all, as you may be aware if you read my previous TRs, photo is strictly forbidden in DRC airports. Although I often manage to snap a few ones, this time it was extremely difficult and I didn’t want to attract more the attention, for reasons you’ll discover later. Hence my apologies for the lack of pics on the ground, I’ll try to make the text as lively as possible to balance this.
Take off was planned at 7.30am, the pickup was expected to show up at home at a painful 5.45. He finally reached at 6 and off we went on the quiet roads of Lubumbashi. Outside it was still dark and the air was fresh and rich of the smell of wet ground, sunrise is definitely the best time of the day in Africa.
As you may know, the “protocole” is someone helping you to go through all the formalities linked to check in, security and immigration. Using one is very advisable when travelling to/from/inside DRC. However I was feeling a bit adventurous this time and decided to try managing the things by myself. I was curious to see how things were going on at Lubumbashi airport (although I travelled many times from there, I always used to stay at the lounge, then directly proceed to the tarmac, thus skipping the mess inside the terminal building).
My assumptions were that this would be relatively easy because
- It was very early morning so airport would be rather empty
- Korongo was claiming to be a very organized company so the check in process would be efficient
I was totally wrong as you’ll discover in a few moments.
After some 15 minutes driving off the city we finally reached the airport entrance, where a military checkpoint is set up. Usually our driver just waves at them and they immediately open the gate. But this time it was not the case and we had to queue behind a few other vehicles.
After some 10 minutes we were in front of the queue. A heavily armed military asked to open the car’s door and started checking inside. I was very surprised as it was the first time I was encountering this and I was more concerned about his weapon hanging dangerously around his shoulder than about what he could have found inside.
Fortunately, the check didn’t take long and we were finally allowed inside the airport perimeter.
AT THE AIRPORT
After parking, we rushed out as it was quite late by then and ushered into the terminal.
At the entrance, we were directed to a small room where a set of officials from RVA (airport staff) were opening the luggage one by one to look for any dangerous item.
When they saw my white skin, they immediately asked for “morning coffee money”. As I didn’t want to spend too much time in unnecessary talking I just handed them a few notes and they let us in without checking any of our bags.
I was happy and ready to proceed with check-in when I realized I had been so wrong with my assumption of an empty airport. The place was actually completely packed with passenger pushing each other and talking loudly around.
A long queue had already been formed in front of a small desk I assumed was Korongo because of the bunch of white people standing there (remember Korongo is half held by SN). The 3 of us travelling managed to squeeze with our luggage and then started a long 20 minutes wait until we reached the front.
A lady greeted us with a smile (at least) and checked our passport and data. She held my passport for an unusual time and then I saw her supervisor reach, take my passport and start examining it as well. He came to me and the following conversation happened
- Is this your passport ?
- Yes
- I’m sorry you can’t travel
- What ?
- Yes, the transparent plastic page on it is missing
[Me suddenly remembering that, indeed, the slight plastic sheet being part of the protection mechanism on recent passports had detached itself long ago and had been lost, gosh I had totally forgotten this, but had been travelling into Zambia, everywhere across Congo and in South Africa recently without hassle]
- Sir, you’re right. But that won’t be a problem, I extensively traveled with this passport recently,
- No impossible. I don’t want us to pay a 5,000$ fine once in South Africa because we let you in
[Me trying to save the situation]
- But look, here are recent stamps from South Africa, see, I’ve been there with no problem.
[The guy definitely the smartest this morning]
- But who tells me the plastic sheet was not still in your passport at that time ?
[Me starting to get desperate]
- OK then what shall we do now ? I really need to travel today.
- Let me check with our manager
[After some phone calls, the guy returned to me]
- Alright you can check in, but it’s at your own risks. We won’t take any responsibility
Relief started flowing inside me, heartbeat calming down. Man OK I admit there are some irregularities with my passport but why is it only Korongo who detects it although I had been traveling with KQ etc. before? And is it my fault if Belgium is issuing such fragile items ?
Anyway I could finally proceed. The lady took a picture (with a camera) of our passport (strange) and then we were allowed to … queue in a second line.
That line was actually to check the content of luggage to be checked in. Due to the lack of X-Ray system in FBM, they had to do it manually. So of course it took once again ages for them to check every luggage.
Once this was done, a small “security screening” stickers was put on our luggage and we were able to … you guess it right, go the a third queue.
This queue was now for the actual check in where they would issue your boarding pass. Once again the queue was moving very slowly, I soon found out that this was because there was a connection problem with their system and therefore they were not able to issue boarding passes. I was a little pissed off. In this part of the world, you know that connectivity is a big issue, and you must always have alternatives (either backup connection or a manual procedure). But this didn’t seem to be the case with Korongo, and that was really a shame for Brussels Airlines who is supporting Korongo and is supposed to have a big experience of Africa.
It was already 7.30 by that time, the planned departure time, and when a lady announced that boarding was called for our flight to Johannesburg, everybody started protesting in the queue.
By judging the amount of persons still queuing, it was very unlikely we would depart any soon.
After lots of sweating from their IT guy, they managed to fix the connection, and after another 30 minutes, I was finally rewarded with the holy graal : a boarding pass !
The holy graal
It was the first time I was receiving a real “IATA compliant” boarding pass from a DRC company and I was very excited about this.
Our luggage was tagged and taken away to some unknown destination (hopefully our aircraft) and out hand luggage was tagged as well to destination XXX (I had never seen this practice anywhere before)
So we were finally released, free to proceed to next step, which was the purchase of the “Go Pass” (Departure Tax), a total rip-off 50$ worth document allowing you to exit the country.
We then continued to immigration where a friendly agent stamped our passports in no time.
We were then “airside”, which is a big word for Lubumbashi airport as it consists of a very narrow seating area and a depressing shop.
As boarding time was way overdue, we immediately went out into the tarmac. And there she was, the reward of 3 hours struggle inside the airport. Our eyes were blinking at the heavy sunlight, the first Korongo Boeing 737-300 OO-LTM was quietly sunbathing in the apron of Lubumbashi.
As there were still too many people around, I couldn’t take a picture, instead I offer you this one taken one week later at the same airport and of the same plane, when taking a second Korongo trip this time to Kinshasa
OO-LTM with a cargo DC-8 in the background
We slowly walked towards the beast. There was a hand luggage security check which was quickly done with a bonus smile and there we were, about to jump into this inaugural flight !
On the way to the aircraft (photo taken one week later on the FIH-bound trip)
IN THE AIRCRAFT
ZC123
FBM
JNB
Scheduled
07:30
09:45
Actual
10:15
12:25
Boeing 737-300
OO-LTM
We entered the cabin with a big relief. Now all we had to do was enjoying the flight and hope the inflight service would be better than on the ground.
The cabin interior was classic blue leather seats as used by Brussels Airlines. Most of the passengers were already seated but it took another 30 until everyone was onboard and we were ready to take off.
Cabin before landing
To pass the time I started investigating the seat pocket which was containing a safety card and “Wageni” the inflight magazine of Korongo.
The fact to see an inflight magazine was by itself impressing, even if the content was rather poor, it was a proof of professionalism, and willingness to highlight stories about Lubumbashi, the Korongo homebase.
Inflight Magazine
Safety Card
After the last passengers were in, doors were finally closed and we started our taxi to the runway while welcome announcements could be heard in French, English, Swahili and Lingala.
We took of from the usual runway 07 after passing besides some weird aircrafts
Yak-42
MD-80 painted with the colors of “Tout Puissant Mazembe”, the local football club owned by wealthy Moïse Katumbi Tchapwe and winner of the CAF Champions League In 2010
Military Stuff
Minefield just after take off
Once we were airborne, the fasten seatbelt sign was off quite quickly and everyone was allowed to walk across the cabin. The attendants slowly started to warm up the food.
We were starting to get very hungry as it was near by 11 but we had to wait another 30 minutes before service reached our row (which was in the middle of the plane).
However I must say the wait was worth it as catering was a really good surprise.
We were handed a nicely Korongo branded breakfast box. Its content was an omelette with sausage and potato, a sweet strawberry yoghurt (made in Germany ?), canned fruit salad and a bread roll.
Everything was properly sealed and looked very fresh and clean. This was such a change from the dry and dirty salami sandwiches served on Hewa Bora or CAA !
Before opening the box
Inside the magic box
To add the final touch to this very nice breakfast, a bread basket containing different hot croissants was presented to pick from.
Of course several rounds of tea/coffee were also offered.
That was an excellent and more than welcome surprise after the painful time at the airport. Big thumbs up for ZC catering !
I was really filled after breakfast and sunk into my seat to enjoy the rest of the flight which was pretty uneventful.
Somewhere over Zimbabwe
We chit-chatted with some people we vaguely know in Lubumbashi and the rest of the flight was quite cool.
There was no entertainment apart from the magazine, an airshow on bulkhead monitors would have been a nice touch.
After another hour in the Southern African skies we started our descent towards JNB
The weather was very good and the landing smooth.
As we were taxiing we received the traditional splash of water and most of the passengers started clapping their hands, which was a nice touch.
SQ 772, this is so nice to see “civilized” planes after staying in the heart of Congo.
Splash of water from the fire tanker with an IB tail in the background
We parked at a jetbridge and deboarding was fast and orderly.
AT JNB
In no time we were in huge JNB airport, overwhelmed by the clean and shiny aspect of the place
After following some corridors, we reached the impressive set of immigration counters.
I was wondering if my passport would create any problem as feared by ZC staff.
The clerk joked about a woman who had passed just before me and seemed to be in her last days of pregmency, barely looked at my passport and stamped it without any more comment.
Hurrah, I was admitted into the rainbow nation !
To immigration and baggage claim
Our luggage was already waiting for us as we reached the carrousel and so off we were into busy JNB arrival’s hall.
Baggage Claim Area
Our carroussel
Originial add for Amarula Liquor, you should try it if you have a chance.
We had planned to use the Gautrain to reach central Johannesburg. Gautrain is a new modern train network linking O.R. Tambo Airport, Johannesburg and Pretoria.
There were clear signs to the stations and, after purchasing the “gold card’, an RFID card you can top up with money, we reached the tracks.
The train reached after a few minutes, it was very modern looking with its gold and silver livery
Gautrain station at JNB
Our train arriving
In no more than 15 minutes, we had reached Sandton and started enjoying our short holiday.
RETURN TRIP
After 4 wonderful days in and around Jo’burg it was already time to return to Lubumbashi.
The return flight was an evening flight, which was good as it allowed us to fully enjoy our last day into Jo’burg.
This was only possible after the lighting system at FBM was renewed, thus allowing planes to takeoff and land after dark.
Let’s go !
Fearing another mess at check-in, we were at the airport well on time. As we walked into the check-in area, we were very happy to see only a few people lining up in front of the ZC check-in desk which was already opened more than 2 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Check in desks at JNB
The whole process was very relaxed and it didn’t take more than a few minutes to have our boarding passes in hand. What a change compared to the inbound flight !
Check-in sign
As we had still plenty of time left, we first remained landside, doing some ultimate shopping. My wife found some fresh lily flowers and we decided to give a try taking them all the way to Lubumbashi where it is so difficult to get fresh flowers.
Once all shopping duties were over we went through security. This took some time as there were a lot of intercontinental flights about to leave at this time of the day but it was still acceptable.
We then proceeded to passport control which was quick and friendly and were airside.
Our gate was at the other extremity of the area so we had to walk through the impressing set of shops and restaurants. We took this opportunity to grab a last Hägen Dasz ice cream, god only knew when we could get the next one
Airside JNB is nothing but yet another gigantic mall
Our gate was actually at the end of the terminal down one floor, with all the other bus gates. It was a shame we had to wait there as there was absolutely no more seating available.
Bus gates area, with way too few seatings.
At about the scheduled departing time, there was still no sign of boarding but no delay was announced either. Gate was finally opened and, after having our boarding passes torn, we were allowed into the bus.
The bus ride was short and we were quicly climbing the stairs into OO-LTM (what else ?)
Long time no see.
The cabin interior was just as we had left it a few days ago, and a nice welcome music could be heard while everyone was taking his seat.
Our seats and around
I won’t very much comment on the return flight as it was pretty dull.
I don’t exactly remember which food was on offer but it was okay without being exceptional and good south African wine as well as Congolese beer were on offer, which made the trip go faster for sure.
Arrival at Lubumbashi was cool, it was very late and the customs, RVA, and immigration officials were obviously tired and bored as we went quickly though all the steps and no one complained about us importing fresh flowers without authorization or anything else they could find.
CONCLUSION
Despite a disastrous first impression on the ground at FBM (well let’s call it a beginner’s miss), Korongo experience was definitely way above average Congolese standards (okay that’s not too difficult indeed).
Operating aircrafts leased and maintained by SN is certainly a pledge of safety. I used them a few more times later for domestic routes and every time the flight was on time and service on the very high side.
DRC really needed such an initiative, it has been long and difficult to make it up and running and I really wish they will continue to expand their network as planned.
This way they can really make travelling around DRC safer and easier, this was REALLY very much needed.
***
Dear reader, thanks for having taken the time to go through this review. This is probably the last TR about DRC as my assignment there has come to an end and I’m now relaxing back in Belgium, enjoying all the benefits of a wealthy and organized country.
Hope you liked it, feel free to comment, it’s always a pleasure to read your feedback
dc9northwest From Romania, joined Feb 2007, 1749 posts, RR: 4 Reply 1, posted (10 months 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 7332 times:
Hi fasty,
Wonderful report. I was just reading up on RDC last night after watching a programme on the Discovery channel, and today I find this report. Nice coincidence
Obviously leaving the DRC is a bit of an otherworldly experience... interesting to see the idiosyncratic nature of these types of flights. Luckily your flimsy passport didn't affect much... Indeed it seems the third world seems to care more about appearance than the (decadent, of course) West, but luckily it wasn't a problem even so.
I really enjoy reports from such off the beaten path locations... I wonder how many tourists Kinshasa or Lubumbashi get in a year. I'm guessing Goma gets more than these two... Such statistics would be priceless. I'm really curious how many dare to go to the DRC without going there for business or visiting relatives/friends.
Thanks a lot for your report... And with regard to pictures, thanks for uploading whatever you could
debonair From Germany, joined Jan 2004, 2113 posts, RR: 4 Reply 4, posted (10 months 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 6954 times:
Always great to read from such exotic airlines!!
Quoting fasty (Thread starter): I used them a few more times later for domestic routes and every time the flight was on time and service on the very high side.
Ever tried EC AIR Equatorial Congo Airlines? Would be nice to compare these two airlines!
MHTripple7 From United States of America, joined Feb 2008, 1055 posts, RR: 5 Reply 5, posted (10 months 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 6907 times:
I am glad to finally read a Korongo trip report! DRC is a very hard place to operate an airline, and it looks like Korongo has been managing fairly well. Pathetic how the government kept them from flying for so long.
Quoting fasty (Thread starter): - Is this your passport ?
- Yes
- I’m sorry you can’t travel
- What ?
- Yes, the transparent plastic page on it is missing
Having just returned from Angola, this makes me smirk. The most petty things can be a game-ender. Thankfully they let you through!
Quoting fasty (Thread starter): Everything was properly sealed and looked very fresh and clean. This was such a change from the dry and dirty salami sandwiches served on Hewa Bora or CAA !
Yeah that looks good!
Thanks for sharing, looking forward to more from you!
thegreatRDU From United States of America, joined Mar 2006, 2278 posts, RR: 3 Reply 6, posted (10 months 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 6374 times:
Very nice TR....I tell you air travel in the DRC is among the worst in the world for every single measurable category....but good TR...I have a question though...were all those people local FBM traffic or did the plane come from FIH? And did some of them stay onboard to continue on to JNB??
Quoting fasty (Thread starter):
So we were finally released, free to proceed to next step, which was the purchase of the “Go Pass” (Departure Tax), a total rip-off 50$ worth document allowing you to exit the country.
Complete ripoff right? The funds are being embezzled and of course they don't go to airport improvement projects..
Quoting fasty (Thread starter): MD-80 painted with the colors of “Tout Puissant Mazembe”, the local football club owned by wealthy Moïse Katumbi Tchapwe and winner of the CAF Champions League In 2010
Le Voleur....what can I say about this man..he has done a lot of good for the province of Katanga but he's enriched himself illegally through the mines...
Quoting dc9northwest (Reply 1): I wonder how many tourists Kinshasa or Lubumbashi get in a year. I'm guessing Goma gets more than these two... Such statistics would be priceless. I'm really curious how many dare to go to the DRC without going there for business or visiting relatives/friends.
Goma gets almost zero tourism nowadays with all the instability and what not.....you know the M23s and stuff
bwest From Belgium, joined Jul 2006, 1318 posts, RR: 4 Reply 8, posted (10 months 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 5844 times:
Great trip report, thx.
About your passport: this happened to the first generation of new passports. The later generations have much sturdier plastic sheets in them. You can normally have your passport replaced for free if the thing comes loose.
Bralo20 From Belgium, joined May 2008, 587 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (10 months 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 5775 times:
Very nice report! Thanks for sharing this! Nice to see that everything (except the initial boarding) was up to standards. The DRC needed a decent airline and let's hope that ZC can change aviation in Congo so people actually can fly without a reasonble fear of crashing/having an accident.
Hope they will succeed in the future.
Quoting thegreatRDU (Reply 6): Complete ripoff right? The funds are being embezzled and of course they don't go to airport improvement projects..
Indeed, the refurbishing of the airports where ZC will operate from and to is being paid by Brussels Airlines and Groupe Forrest International. At this point they are upgrading Mbuji Maji and Kolwezi to starts safe operations from and to these airports. Ops to these airports should start in the next couple of months.
smi0006 From Australia, joined Jan 2008, 1407 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (10 months 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 5354 times:
A fantastic report thank you so much for taking the time to write it!!! It was a great read, I really enjoyed it.
Quoting fasty (Thread starter): - Alright you can check in, but it’s at your own risks. We won’t take any responsibility
Relief started flowing inside me, heartbeat calming down. Man OK I admit there are some irregularities with my passport but why is it only Korongo who detects it although I had been traveling with KQ etc. before? And is it my fault if Belgium is issuing such fragile items ?
In fairness to the staff, as a check-in supervisor in MEL for a few airlines if one of my staff had pointed out the same thing to me I would have gone through exactly the same processes. The fine is often USD$5000 with 5 or more infringements per flight it can jump to $150,000!!!!!! Generally RSA are rather strict too.
Quoting fasty (Thread starter): Anyway I could finally proceed. The lady took a picture (with a camera) of our passport (strange) and then we were allowed to … queue in a second line.
Probably for their records should a notice of infringement come back to them. Again here in MEL we would do the same thing, I would have also got you to sign a notice of indemnity and stapled that to the copy of your passport placing it in the flight file.
Quoting fasty (Thread starter): Our luggage was tagged and taken away to some unknown destination (hopefully our aircraft) and out hand luggage was tagged as well to destination XXX (I had never seen this practice anywhere before)
Again we often do that in MEL for EK services, it ensures hand baggage regulations are maintained by security, although maybe they have different reasons in DRC.
sultanils From Belgium, joined Mar 2010, 1211 posts, RR: 29 Reply 14, posted (10 months 22 hours ago) and read 5206 times:
Hello Thomas,
What a very nice and exclusive report! Well, much has been heard about that new Congolese airline Korongo. The aircraft were visible in that nice distinctive livery already at BRU. I'm glad by now the operation is really 'on the go' and by the looks of it, it is a huge step forward. Of course you are well aware of how things are done in DRC airports, but I must say the checkin procedure at FBM is too buearucratic for words.
Quoting fasty (Thread starter): Till now, SAA had the monopoly on the FBM-JNB route, and this allowed them to offer full inventory of Y booking class (Economy Full Fare) on that route, to an insane price of 1500 USD.
Is there any resident from the DRC who is able to afford such a ticket
Quoting fasty (Thread starter): It was the first time I was receiving a real “IATA compliant” boarding pass from a DRC company and I was very excited about this.
I can imagine. It makes you feel proud as a Belgian to have participated in the setup of this airline.
Quoting fasty (Thread starter): Everything was properly sealed and looked very fresh and clean.
Quite some other airlines can actually learn from this!
Tomskii From Belgium, joined May 2011, 456 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (10 months 19 hours ago) and read 5078 times:
Quoting sultanils (Reply 14): Is there any resident from the DRC who is able to afford such a ticket
Believe me Nils, having worked in the Duty free shops as a student in BRU: the people taking those SN flights are not the poor part of the DRC.. they often return home with gifts like 1000 eur bottles of whisky..
eastafspot From France, joined Jan 2008, 479 posts, RR: 4 Reply 16, posted (9 months 4 weeks 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 4707 times:
Tu as tout bon l'ami, 20/20
Since you've told me about its imminent publication i was really impatient to discover your new adventure, and obviously you've outdone yourself i subscribed today to read and reply on this fantastic TR.
Lubumbashi airport seems a pain, honestly, were your still in DRC when some gunmen attacked this airport overnight killing 3 soldiers?
Glad to read you managed to go through all the process without the "compulsory" assistance, despite the fear with your old passport.
The load factor seems ok, is the cabin crew local or from Belgium? Was 10D seat on the exit row? If yes pity that you or your wife could not get the window seat with extra legroom.
Do you think there is a chance that Korongo will exceptionally be excluded from the next EU blacklist ?
Quoting fasty (Thread starter): they immediately asked for “morning coffee money”
You've made my day, and what do they drink during the day Fanta or Sprite ?
.
Quoting fasty (Thread starter): Due to the lack of X-Ray system in FBM, they had to do it manually. So of course it took once again ages for them to check every luggage.
This situation happened to me once in Lilongwe too, supervised by an official we had to go in the backstage to confirm our luggage and open them for security checks, and yes it took a while!
Quoting fasty (Thread starter): I don’t exactly remember which food was on offer but it was okay
Quoting dc9northwest (Reply 1): I'm guessing Goma gets more than these two... Such statistics would be priceless. I'm really curious how many dare to go to the DRC without going there for business or visiting relatives/friends.
That would be interesting indeed, the volcano hikes are popular along with the Gorilla treks much cheaper than across the border in Uganda and Rwanda. However due to the volatile situation the Virunga National Park has been closed since May or June
@TheGreatRDU
Quoting thegreatRDU (Reply 6): Goma gets almost zero tourism nowadays with all the instability and what not.....you know the M23s and stuff
A warning notice was issued recently stating that M23 rebels were (illegally) organizing treks nowadays, since their progression slows down around Goma.
Thomas, thank you so much for "risking your life" and sharing with us this precious insight of your inaugural flight on a such promising airline.
Looking forward to read your next TR
Léonard
[Edited 2012-08-23 03:27:15]
[Edited 2012-08-23 04:31:14]
Fly with Air Burundi, Air Tanzania, Air Uganda, Kenya Airways and Rwandair...Jumuiya ya Afrika mashariki
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 13 Reply 17, posted (9 months 4 weeks 11 hours ago) and read 4278 times:
Very interesting report,w thanks for posting....I was wondering how things were going with Korongo. Looks like early days aren't easy. I'm still staggered how things are such a hassle in Africa....why can't things be easier?!
Quoting fasty (Thread starter):
Inaugural flight for JNB was to follow 3 days later at another promotional fare of 520 USD return.
Till now, SAA had the monopoly on the FBM-JNB route, and this allowed them to offer full inventory of Y booking class (Economy Full Fare) on that route, to an insane price of 1500 USD.
Wow, that's pricey. It's always the poorest places that are hit with the highest charges for things like airfares.
Quoting fasty (Thread starter): Our luggage was tagged and taken away to some unknown destination (hopefully our aircraft) and out hand luggage was tagged as well to destination XXX (I had never seen this practice anywhere before)
Ha, the only place I've seen this before was on my SN flight to Burundi.
Quoting fasty (Thread starter): We were handed a nicely Korongo branded breakfast box. Its content was an omelette with sausage and potato, a sweet strawberry yoghurt (made in Germany ?), canned fruit salad and a bread roll.
Looks nice
Quoting lychemsa (Reply 3): What is that white food with the chicken?
fasty From Belgium, joined Oct 2010, 36 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (9 months 4 weeks 11 hours ago) and read 4276 times:
Hi guys,
Thanks for having taken the time to read this TR and I'm really glad you enjoyed it !
Quoting dc9northwest (Reply 1): I wonder how many tourists Kinshasa or Lubumbashi get in a year. I'm guessing Goma gets more than these two... Such statistics would be priceless. I'm really curious how many dare to go to the DRC without going there for business or visiting relatives/friends.
Well I don't think I would be far from the reality by stating zero tourist. The first reason is that, to apply for the Congolese visa, you need an invitation letter and it will cost you 100$ for a single-entry one month visa.
Most (all?) of the tourists in Congo have relatives there or work there.
Quoting SepulTALLICA (Reply 2): How does Korongo compare to CAA & flyCongo in its quality and value for money?
From my eperience (this flight and a few more later), Korongo is much above CAA and FlyCongo, although a ittle more expensive. You can read my previous TR to get a flavour of FlyCongo (when it was still called Hewa Bora)
Quoting lychemsa (Reply 3): What is that white food with the chicken?
It is called "pap",e it's a kind of porridge made from maize floor. Tasteless but goes nice with chilly sauces and alike.
Quoting debonair (Reply 4): Ever tried EC AIR Equatorial Congo Airlines? Would be nice to compare these two airlines!
Yeah, this seems to be another promising airline. But as they operate from Congo-Brazzaville and I was located in Congo-Kinshasa I never had a chance to try them.
Quoting thegreatRDU (Reply 6): .were all those people local FBM traffic or did the plane come from FIH? And did some of them stay onboard to continue on to JNB?
No the plane had overnighted in Lubumbashi. As FBM is the Korongo homebase, all aircrafts remain there at night. And I don't think they planned for an FIH-FBM-JNB route, where FlyCongo will certainly try to resume them in the future.
Quoting bwest (Reply 8): About your passport: this happened to the first generation of new passports. The later generations have much sturdier plastic sheets in them. You can normally have your passport replaced for free if the thing comes loose.
Yes that's true. Ufortunateky I had to pay for the new one as I had already reached half time of the passport validity.
Quoting viasa (Reply 10): Did you know the registration of the Trans Air Cargo Service DC-8-62 (F)?
Nope, sorry.
Quoting smi0006 (Reply 13): In fairness to the staff, as a check-in supervisor in MEL for a few airlines if one of my staff had pointed out the same thing to me I would have gone through exactly the same processes. The fine is often USD$5000 with 5 or more infringements per flight it can jump to $150,000!!!!!! Generally RSA are rather strict too.
Hi Smi, thanks for bringing this on. It's good to also get the point of view from the airline, and not only from the passenger
As for the pictures, they were taking pics of passport for each and every passengers, not only mine.
Quoting sultanils (Reply 14): What a very nice and exclusive report! Well, much has been heard about that new Congolese airline Korongo. The aircraft were visible in that nice distinctive livery already at BRU. I'm glad by now the operation is really 'on the go' and by the looks of it, it is a huge step forward. Of course you are well aware of how things are done in DRC airports, but I must say the checkin procedure at FBM is too buearucratic for words.
Hi Nils, thanks, I had seen those pics on a.net for a while and was very excited to see them in real life !
Quoting sultanils (Reply 14): I can imagine. It makes you feel proud as a Belgian to have participated in the setup of this airline.
That's totally true. Bringing up such an airline is also a way for Belgium to contribute to the country's reconstruction. Although however there is a business involved. But cooperation and business are not always antinomic ...
Quoting Tomskii (Reply 15): Believe me Nils, having worked in the Duty free shops as a student in BRU: the people taking those SN flights are not the poor part of the DRC.. they often return home with gifts like 1000 eur bottles of whisky..
Tomskii you got it right. There are a decent number of [very] rich Congolese. And those won't hesitate to pay more for more security. Of course, the expat customers are also plenty.
Bralo20 From Belgium, joined May 2008, 587 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (9 months 3 weeks 6 days 20 hours ago) and read 4122 times:
Quoting eastafspot (Reply 16):
Do you think there is a chance that Korongo will exceptionally be excluded from the next EU blacklist ?
Today all Congolese airlines are blacklisted by the EU and unless something is going to change (not only at the individual airlines but more importantly at the Congolese CAA) it will probably remain so. The moment that ZC announces to fly to the EU (which I doubt they will soon) then they'll just operate like they do now, with foreign planes on a foreign AOC.
At this moment Korongo Airlines is a "virtual airline", it does hold an valid AOC from the Congolese government but they don't operate flights themself. All Korongo flights are carried out by Brussels Airlines not only via wetlease but actually as the operating carrier (hence the double flightnumbers (every ZC flights has a SN flightnumber)) on the Belgian AOC. I don't know how it is arranged exactly between the Belgian en the Congolese government (it wasn't allowed first to operate flights on a foreign AOC and the planes needed a Congolese registration but this changed in the end) but the Belgian CAA is the supervising authority for the ZC flights with Belgian registered planes.
When we look at all the governmental travel between Belgian and the DRC I wouldn't be surprised that in a couple of years (maybe earlier?) an announcement is made that the Congolese Cival Aviation Authority has been restructured to a reliable CAA and that the blacklisting of Congo as a country together with Congolese airlines that meet expectations are lifted from the EU blacklist. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me at all if that was one of the terms for Korongo to start up... Give us an CAA that is up to standards and we'll help you with Korongo.
[Edited 2012-08-25 04:11:06]
Currently there are loads of (Belgian) money being invested in Congolese aviation, most recognizable through upgrading of airports to make then compliant with safety regulations.
Flaps From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 1142 posts, RR: 4 Reply 20, posted (9 months 3 weeks 6 days 15 hours ago) and read 4045 times:
Thank you for an excellent trip report. I very much enjoy these thorough and well written reports from places that I will likely never be able to see in person.
MSS658 From Belgium, joined Oct 2010, 2256 posts, RR: 14 Reply 21, posted (9 months 3 weeks 6 days ago) and read 3898 times:
Hello
Great report of on of our 'national' carriers. Great to read something of Korongo.
While the hard is still the same as on SN the soft does not look bad indeed.
Glad they let you board the plane in FBM
taloush From United Arab Emirates, joined Jul 2001, 154 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (9 months 3 weeks 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 3844 times:
Reports like these reaffirm my conviction that I would not last a day in Africa!
I just looked up Lubumbashi and was surprised to find out it used to be called Elisabethville once upon a time. My dad lived there for a couple of years in the 60s! His father (my grandfather) was in the UN and was stationed there for a while. I've heard many a story about its lush greenery and beauty...I wonder how things compare now to the Belgian Congo circa 1964.
abrelosojos From Venezuela, joined May 2005, 4919 posts, RR: 55 Reply 23, posted (9 months 3 weeks 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 3368 times:
Very cool report. Good to see more of DRC come up. Thanks again for sharing this with us. I return back to DRC -- but unlike last time, this is for a consulting project, and so no pictures ... who knows .. maybe this will be sent to some high-ups at Korongo to take note ...
fasty From Belgium, joined Oct 2010, 36 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (9 months 2 weeks 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 3038 times:
Hi Leo and thank you so much for taking the time to comment
Quoting eastafspot (Reply 16): Lubumbashi airport seems a pain, honestly, were your still in DRC when some gunmen attacked this airport overnight killing 3 soldiers?
Yes I was there. I rmember there was a kind of panic inside the city but nobody knew what to do exactly. So everybody stayed home or in the office, checking for the latest news on the internet .. Finally there was no trouble in the city itself.
Quoting eastafspot (Reply 16): The load factor seems ok, is the cabin crew local or from Belgium? Was 10D seat on the exit row? If yes pity that you or your wife could not get the window seat with extra legroom.
I think the cabin supervisor was from Belgium and then there were 2 Congolese FAs. Well about the seats, I was so happy to manage to get a boarding pass I didn't even think about asking for a seat change !!
Quoting eastafspot (Reply 16): You've made my day, and what do they drink during the day Fanta or Sprite ?
Well, next time you go home, cross the border to Goma and you'll immediately know the answer Ususally they are more generic and ask for "le sucré" which can be either Coke, Fanta or Sprite
Quoting eastafspot (Reply 16): was there any choice compared to the breakfast?
Mmh can't remember for sure, but I think there was just one choice of food.
Quoting eastafspot (Reply 16): Thomas, thank you so much for "risking your life" and sharing with us this precious insight of your inaugural flight on a such promising airline.
Looking forward to read your next TR
Well pleasure was mine. I'm at least as impatient to read YOUR next one. On my side they'll probably be less exotic (who really cares about repetitive BRU-MUC-BRU trips on LH Cityline ! )
Quoting fasty (Reply 18): Quoting fasty (Thread starter):
Our luggage was tagged and taken away to some unknown destination (hopefully our aircraft) and out hand luggage was tagged as well to destination XXX (I had never seen this practice anywhere before)
Ha, the only place I've seen this before was on my SN flight to Burundi.
Hello Gabriel, well probably ZC inherited the operations practices from SN
Quoting Bralo20 (Reply 19): When we look at all the governmental travel between Belgian and the DRC I wouldn't be surprised that in a couple of years (maybe earlier?) an announcement is made that the Congolese Cival Aviation Authority has been restructured to a reliable CAA and that the blacklisting of Congo as a country together with Congolese airlines that meet expectations are lifted from the EU blacklist. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me at all if that was one of the terms for Korongo to start up... Give us an CAA that is up to standards and we'll help you with Korongo.
Wel, that's an interesting analysis indeed. For sure there must have been some counterpart to DRC allowing this special arrangemnt. The visible part is obviously the investment in infrastructure upgrade but there are certainly other less visible parts to that contract.
Quoting taloush (Reply 22): I just looked up Lubumbashi and was surprised to find out it used to be called Elisabethville once upon a time. My dad lived there for a couple of years in the 60s! His father (my grandfather) was in the UN and was stationed there for a while. I've heard many a story about its lush greenery and beauty...I wonder how things compare now to the Belgian Congo circa 1964.
Hey that's a strange coincidence indeed. Well nature is still superb all around Lubumbashi. But unfortunately anyone having lived there in the 60s and coming back now would certainly be shocked. Except a few cases, all the buildings and infrastructuers are still there exactly as they were back then, but totally unmaintained. You can imagine the result.
Quoting abrelosojos (Reply 23): Very cool report. Good to see more of DRC come up. Thanks again for sharing this with us. I return back to DRC -- but unlike last time, this is for a consulting project, and so no pictures ... who knows .. maybe this will be sent to some high-ups at Korongo to take note ...
Hi Alex, feel free to share. I'm happy to help to improve whatever could be.
And enjoy DRC, each trip there is an adventure by itself.
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