Overview
- The Boeing 737-800 from Kinshasa landed on December 19 at Kindu, where no stairs or jetway were available for disembarkation.
- The captain announced the lack of equipment and, after several hours in a hot cabin, some passengers opened a door and dropped roughly three meters to the tarmac.
- Videos shared on social media show passengers jumping as airport staff and police observed, and no injuries were reported.
- Aviation professionals described the conduct as dangerous and normally prohibited by civil aviation rules, while authorities noted slides were not deployed absent an in-flight emergency.
- Local reports cited cost and turnaround concerns for not using slides, and the incident intensifies scrutiny of Air Congo, which began operations in 2024 in partnership with Ethiopian Airlines.