• Heavy rains have rendered Tshikapa’s runway unusable since 22 November.
•  A $400,000 pre-financing meant to launch rehabilitation works remains unaccounted for.
• The shutdown threatens to further isolate the Kasaï region, already struggling with limited road access.

Tshikapa’s airport has halted all flights since 22 November after heavy rains severely damaged its runway, local authorities said on Wednesday. Kasaï Governor Crispin Mukendi Bukasa inspected the site and confirmed that “the runway is totally deteriorated and can no longer receive an aircraft.”

Mukendi said the rehabilitation project had been announced a year ago. The contractor received $400,000 in advance funding but did not start any work. “We want to know how this money was used. The works must begin immediately,” he said.

He stressed that the project aligns with the President’s plan to modernize the country’s aviation infrastructure, adding that Kasaï residents will no longer accept unjustified delays in public-works execution.

Tshikapa Airport is listed among the projects financed under the Sino-Congolese cooperation program. Several Congolese companies had been selected, but they failed to launch construction because the Sino-Congolese Infrastructure Company (SISC SA) required financial guarantees.

The Agency for the Supervision of Collaboration Agreements (APCSC) later asked BGFIBank to provide those guarantees. During an August 21 meeting, the bank reportedly agreed to back the companies involved.

The airport serves as a critical transport link for passengers and cargo in Kasaï, a region with already limited road access. Its closure threatens to intensify isolation, disrupt trade, block freight flows and hinder humanitarian operations.

This article was initially published in French by Boaz Kabeya

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum