The Kinshasa service is a bold comeback for the carrier that in February 2016 was forced to withdraw from three routes – Bujumbura, Kigali and Kilimanjaro, just fifteen months after their introduction.
Travellers from Entebbe to Kinshasa got a direct air link to DR Congo capital Sunday when Dubai-based carrier, flydubai, launched services.
The daily service, which brings flydubai’s destinations on the continent to 13, operates from Entebbe, providing an unexpected dividend for DR Congo-bound travellers that will no longer need to transit through neighbouring capitals.
But passengers will have to endure with a less flattering arrival time in Dubai, which moves shifts six hours to 3.45am daily.
The inaugural service touched down at N’djili Airport, DR Congo’s main international gateway, at 14.20 local on Sunday having left Entebbe two hours earlier.
“As one of the largest and most populous cities in Africa, Kinshasa is a key hub for travel and trade. Africa is one of the UAE’s emerging trade partners and with the opening of this new route to one of the busiest airports in DR Congo there will be further opportunities to strengthen commercial ties across a neighbouring continent with vast natural resources,