Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation
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Founded | 1991 | ||||||
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Operating bases | N'djili Airport | ||||||
Focus cities | Lubumbashi Int'l Airport | ||||||
Fleet size | 7 | ||||||
Destinations | 20 | ||||||
Headquarters | Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo | ||||||
Key people | David and Daniel Blattner | ||||||
Website | www.caacongo.com |
Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation (literally "African Aviation Company", commonly abbreviated CAA and marketed as flyCAA) is a regional airline from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, based at N'djili Airport in Kinshasa.[2] It offers an extensive network of domestic scheduled passenger flights,[3] and an international service on the Kinshasa-Lubumbashi-Johannesburg route, as well as cargo flights. Due to safety and security concerns, CAA has been included in the list of air carriers banned in the European Union,[4] along with many other airlines from the Congo.
History
Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation (CAA) was founded in February 1991 by David and Daniel Blattner as an air taxi company, initially operating a single Grumman Gulfstream I. More Gulfstreams were added to the fleet, as well as Convair 580, Antonov An-26 and Ilyushin Il-18 aircraft as the company moved from air taxi to passenger and cargo services. In 2005 two ex-Spirit Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-81 aircraft were acquired, followed by two McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft in 2008. In 2009 a Fokker 50 was acquired and eventually a further four Fokker 50s joined the fleet. The McDonnell Douglas aircraft were eventually disposed of and replaced with Airbus A320 aircraft.[5]
In 2012 CAA formed a commercial and strategic alliance with rival FlyCongo which led to consolidation into a single brand, flyCAA, in October 2012. The aircraft inherited from FlyCongo, three McDonnell Douglas MD-80s and a Boeing 767-200, were phased out.[5]
In January 2016, the airline terminated their only international route to Johannesburg after failing to receive renewed traffic rights.[6]
Destinations
According to the August 2013 timetable, CAA operates scheduled flights to the following destinations:[7]
City | State | Airport |
---|---|---|
Beni | DR Congo | Beni Airport |
Boende | DR Congo | Boende Airport |
Bukavu | DR Congo | Kavumu Airport |
Bumba | DR Congo | Bumba Airport |
Bunia | DR Congo | Bunia Airport |
Gemena | DR Congo | Gemena Airport |
Goma | DR Congo | Goma International Airport |
Isiro | DR Congo | Matari Airport |
Kalemie | DR Congo | Kalemie Airport |
Kananga | DR Congo | Kananga Airport |
Kindu | DR Congo | Kindu Airport |
Kinshasa | DR Congo | N'djili Airport (base) |
Kisangani | DR Congo | Bangoka International Airport |
Kongolo | DR Congo | Kongolo Airport |
Lisala | DR Congo | Lisala Airport |
Lodja | DR Congo | Lodja Airport |
Lubumbashi | DR Congo | Lubumbashi International Airport (focus city)[3] |
Mbandaka | DR Congo | Mbandaka Airport |
Mbuji-Mayi | DR Congo | Mbuji Mayi Airport |
Tshikapa | DR Congo | Tshikapa Airport |
Fleet
The Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation fleet was made up of the following aircraft in January 2015:[5]
Aircraft | Total | Notes |
---|---|---|
Airbus A320-200 | 3 | |
Boeing 737-200 | 1 | operated by Gryphon Airlines[8] |
Fokker 50 | 3 | |
Total | 7 |
Fleet development
Over the years, the following aircraft types were operated:
- This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Aircraft | Introduced | Retired |
---|---|---|
Airbus A320-200 | ||
Antonov An-26 | ||
Antonov An-32 | ||
Boeing 727 | ||
Convair CV-580 | ||
Douglas DC-8 | ||
Fokker 50 | ||
Fokker 100 | ||
Ilyushin Il-18 | ||
McDonnell Douglas MD-81 | ||
McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | ||
Accidents and incidents
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 that had been on the cargo flight from Lodja, six were killed.[9] There were however a number of non-fatal incidents which resulted in CAA aircraft being damaged beyond repair:
- 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 fourteen occupants on board the scheduled flight to Mbuji-Mayi.[10]
- 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.[11]
- 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.[12]
- 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.[13]
See also
- List of airlines of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- List of companies based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
References
- 1 2 "Information about Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation at rzjets.net". Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ↑ "AeroTransport Data Bank". Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- 1 2 "Great Circle Mapper". Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ EU Mobility and Transport, List of airlines banned within the EU, http://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/safety/air-ban/search_en.htm
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation". Airliner World: 32–36. February 2015.
- ↑ ch-aviation.com - Congo's flyCAA ends international flights 8 January 2016
- ↑ "Timetable (6 August 2013)" (PDF). Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ↑ "Congo's CAA wet-leasing a B737 from South Africa's Gryphon Air". ch-aviation.ch. ch-aviation.ch. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
- ↑ Harro Ranter (4 March 2013). "ASN Aircraft accident Fokker 50 9Q-CBD Goma Airport (GOM)". Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ Harro Ranter (1 April 1997). "ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-580 9Q-CRU Tshikapa Airport (TSH)". Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ Harro Ranter (18 November 1999). "ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-580 9Q-CEJ Tshikapa". Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ Harro Ranter (19 November 2009). "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82) 9Q-CAB Goma Airport (GOM)". Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ↑ Harro Ranter (2 January 2010). "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-231F Super 27 9Q-CAA Kinshasa-N'Djili Airport (FIH)". Retrieved 6 June 2015.
External links
Media related to Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation at Wikimedia Commons