Kinshasa–Johannesburg route

Air Congo has started selling seats on a Kinshasa-to-Johannesburg service, adding another option on one of Central Africa’s busiest business corridors. (air-congo.com) The carrier says the route links N’djili International Airport in Kinshasa with O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, with service beginning in late March and operating under Ethiopian Airlines’ code. Travel News reported the inaugural flight took off on March 22, 2026. (travelnews.co.za) Travel News said the flights run three times a week — Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays — and stop for about one hour in Lubumbashi before continuing south. The published schedule shows a 09:00 departure from Kinshasa and a 16:20 arrival in Johannesburg, with the return leaving at 17:30 and reaching Kinshasa at 22:50. (travelnews.co.za) That adds capacity on a route already served nonstop by South African Airways, ASKY Airlines and Air Côte d’Ivoire, according to flight schedule aggregators that track published airline timetables. Those listings show Kinshasa–Johannesburg flight times of roughly four hours on nonstop service. (flightconnections.com) (flightsfrom.com) Johannesburg is a key commercial hub for southern Africa, while Kinshasa is the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s political and economic center. Travel News said corporate travel sellers expect Air Congo’s entry to improve options on a route they described as difficult for business travelers. (travelnews.co.za) The launch also fits Air Congo’s broader expansion plan. On its corporate page, the airline says it was founded in 2024, began operations on December 1, 2024, and is owned 51% by the Democratic Republic of the Congo government and 49% by Ethiopian Airlines. (air-congo.com) Travel News reported Ethiopian is supplying aircraft and commercial support for the new airline, and that the Johannesburg flights are marketed under Ethiopian’s code. That gives Air Congo a faster path into regional markets while it builds its own network from Kinshasa. (travelnews.co.za 1) (travelnews.co.za 2) South African Airways has also been expanding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The airline said in October 2024 that it already flew Johannesburg–Kinshasa five times a week and would add Lubumbashi service from November 2024. (travelnews.co.za) For travelers, the immediate change is simple: more seats between Kinshasa and Johannesburg, but not on the exact terms first advertised in social media posts. The schedules now in the market point to a March 22 launch and a three-times-weekly service via Lubumbashi, not a brand-new May 1 nonstop. (travelnews.co.za)