Several airlines have suspended flights to and from Ndjili International Airport in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), amid escalating violence. According to various media reports, Air France's flight scheduled for January 28, 2025, from Paris to the DRC via Brazzaville was turned back. Following this incident, Air France-KLM temporarily halted its landings in Kinshasa.

Brussels Airlines also canceled its flights scheduled for January 29 between Brussels and Kinshasa but indicated that flights on January 30 might still proceed. "The safety of our colleagues and passengers is and remains our priority," the airline stated in a release. Due to the ongoing crisis, Uganda Airlines also canceled its January 28 flights to the DRC.

While the fighting is concentrated in the eastern part of the country—over two and a half hours by air from Kinshasa—protests in the capital have escalated into riots. Protesters have vandalized embassies and looted private property, including foreigners’ businesses. Amidst the unrest, diplomatic missions have advised their nationals to remain indoors. Even if airlines wished to maintain operations, logistical challenges related to crew changes in a tense environment have made it difficult.

On January 29, Kinshasa authorities apologized and said they regretted the incidents. The provincial governor consequently banned protests.

Despite these disruptions, data from commercial flight monitoring platform FlightRadar indicates that Ndjili Airport remains open. Several domestic flights continued to operate on January 29, and Uganda Airlines has scheduled flights for that day as well. An Ethiopian Airlines plane landed in Kinshasa around midday; however, flights from Addis Ababa to Goma—the epicenter of the conflict—and Lubumbashi remain uncertain.

Georges Auréole Bamba