Transport Minister Jean-Pierre Bemba has inspected three major airport projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and told the teams responsible that construction schedules must be respected.
The inspection tour on Monday, 27 July, took Bemba to Bunia in Ituri, Lubumbashi in Haut-Katanga and Kananga in Kasaï-Central.
According to the Journal de Kinshasa, the minister reviewed construction, renovation and extension works and held discussions with contractors, provincial authorities and officials from the Régie des Voies Aériennes, or RVA.
The message from the tour was firm: obstacles must be addressed and delivery calendars must be followed.
The reports reviewed by XTRAfrica did not publish revised handover dates, comparable progress figures or detailed budgets for all three projects.
What happened during the three-airport tour?
Bemba began the tour in Bunia, where he was received by Ituri’s military governor, Major-General Gaby Kasongo Mulumba.
He then travelled to Lubumbashi, where he inspected work at Luano International Airport alongside RVA director-general Louis-Blaise Londole.
The final stop was Kananga, where Kasaï-Central governor Joseph-Moïse Kambulu received the minister.
At each location, the delegation examined ongoing work and discussed the problems affecting implementation. The publicly reported purpose was to identify constraints, reinforce technical requirements and keep the projects within their construction calendars.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Bemba Demands Deadlines at Three DRC Airports
Jul 28, 2026
Aug 18, 2026
5 min read
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Transport Minister Jean-Pierre Bemba has inspected three major airport projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and told the teams responsible that construction schedules must be respected.
The inspection tour on Monday, 27 July, took Bemba to Bunia in Ituri, Lubumbashi in Haut-Katanga and Kananga in Kasaï-Central.
According to the Journal de Kinshasa, the minister reviewed construction, renovation and extension works and held discussions with contractors, provincial authorities and officials from the Régie des Voies Aériennes, or RVA.
The message from the tour was firm: obstacles must be addressed and delivery calendars must be followed.
The reports reviewed by XTRAfrica did not publish revised handover dates, comparable progress figures or detailed budgets for all three projects.
What happened during the three-airport tour?
Bemba began the tour in Bunia, where he was received by Ituri’s military governor, Major-General Gaby Kasongo Mulumba.
He then travelled to Lubumbashi, where he inspected work at Luano International Airport alongside RVA director-general Louis-Blaise Londole.
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The final stop was Kananga, where Kasaï-Central governor Joseph-Moïse Kambulu received the minister.
At each location, the delegation examined ongoing work and discussed the problems affecting implementation. The publicly reported purpose was to identify constraints, reinforce technical requirements and keep the projects within their construction calendars.
That makes the tour an accountability intervention. It is not yet proof that the obstacles have been removed or that contractors will deliver on time.
What is happening at Bunia’s airport?
The most detailed information from the tour concerns Bunia’s Murongo Airport. according to Ituri.cd said that work on the renovated terminal had entered its finishing phase.
Bemba welcomed the progress but asked for additional measures before the airport is fully put into service.
The recommendations reportedly included extending the runway, clearing parts of the airport’s right-of-way and creating technical areas for weapons-control services under the supervision of the Directorate General of Migration.
These requests show why visible building work is only one part of airport modernisation. Runway capacity, protected land, passenger controls, safety systems and operational certification are also necessary before an airport can function reliably.
No date was announced for the resumption of commercial flights at Bunia during the visit.
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What was inspected in Lubumbashi?
At Luano International Airport in Lubumbashi, Bemba reviewed the progress of modernisation work and stressed the importance of safety, service quality and professional execution.
Lubumbashi is one of the DRC’s most important economic centres. Its airport serves passengers, businesses and the wider mining and commercial economy of the Grand Katanga region.
A modernised airport could improve passenger handling, strengthen domestic and international connections and support the movement of people and goods.
However, the reports published after the inspection did not provide a verified completion percentage, revised delivery date or full list of outstanding works at Luano.
Why is Kananga under particular scrutiny?
Kananga’s airport is important to the government’s effort to improve access to central DRC.
The July tour included discussions about ongoing construction, renovation and extension work. It also followed earlier public concern about the pace of the project.
In February, 7sur7 reported claims from local civil-society representatives that work had slowed because of administrative and financial difficulties.
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Those earlier claims included concerns about authorisation for runway work and delayed payments to some suppliers.
The latest inspection confirms that Kananga remains an active project.
Why do the three airports are so Important ?
The DRC is one of Africa’s largest countries, and many provincial journeys are difficult or extremely time-consuming by road.
Reliable airports can reduce isolation and improve travel between provinces. They can also support trade, emergency response, tourism, investment and the movement of time-sensitive goods.
The expected benefits differ by city:
Bunia: safer and more reliable access to Ituri, including for residents, businesses and humanitarian operations.
Lubumbashi: stronger passenger and commercial links for one of the country’s biggest economic centres.
Kananga: improved connectivity for Kasaï-Central and neighbouring parts of central DRC.
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