Congo Airways (8Z, Kinshasa N'Djili) will commence operations on Friday, October 9 the airline has announced via social media. The airline's inaugural route has yet to be disclosed though press reports indicate it will likely be Kinshasa N'Djili-Lubumbashi.

Operations are on-board a pair of A320-200s with a pair of turboprops (likely Dash 8-400s) expected to join the fleet in due course.

Initially, the carrier is expected to serve Lubumbashi, Kisangani, Goma, Mbuji Mayi, Kananga, Kindu and Mbandaka. Gbadolite, home to deposed kleptocrat Mobutu Sese Seko's now decaying jungle palace, has also applied for commercial service.

Regional operations are expected to commence later on next year.

Congo Airways had planned to launch in late August but was forced to defer those plans following the seizure of its second A320 at Dublin International by creditors of the Congolese government. The aircraft was released after an Irish court ruled the airline was not liable for Kinshasa's debts.