Scibe Airlift

Scibe Airlift

IATA - ICAO SBZ Callsign SCIBE AIRLIFT
Founded	1979
Ceased operations	2002
Hubs	N'djili Airport
Fleet size	At its maximum: 27. Boeing 727's, DC-10-30's, Boeing 707's, Fokker F27's, Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules etc.
Destinations	Hub : Kinshasa. Flying to many domestic cities (Goma, Mbuji Mayi, Tshikapa, etc) + Brussels once a week.
Headquarters	Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Key people	Jeannot Bemba Saolona, President Jose Numes, Chief Pilot

Scibe Airlift is an airline based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire). It operates from N'Djili Airport, Kinshasa.

The airline was on the List of air carriers banned in the European Union, as were all airlines regulated by the authorities in the DRC.

The airline started activities with a single Vickers Viscount. Due to problems concerning the national airline, Air Zaire, Scibe Airlift became the first passenger airline in the country. After covering the whole country, it bought a Boeing 707 to fly the European route. In the early 1990s Scibe Airlift was at its peak, flying to many destinations and even leasing its aircraft to European airlines. In this period it was flying DC-10-30 on its Kinshasa (FIH) - Brussels (BRU) route.^{[citation needed]}

The political instability of the country and the poor financial management of the company brought it to an end.^{[citation needed]}

Accidents and incidents

• On 13 December 1992 a Fokker F-27-400M operated by Scibe Airlift Cargo crashed with 37 fatalities about 10 km (6.3 mls) from Goma
• On 18 January 1994 a Learjet 24D operated by Scibe Airlift Cargo ran out of fuel and crashed on approach on a repositioning flight from Cotonou Airport (COO/DBBB), Benin to Kinshasa-N'djili Airport (FIH/FZAA) killing two crew.
• The 1996 Air Africa crash killed an estimated 297, mostly on the ground. It was a lease from Scibe.

Further reading

• J Rupert, "Zaïre reportedly selling arms to Angolan ex-rebels", The Washington Post, 21 March 1997.
• "Chaos am Himmel ueber Afrika", Die Zeit, May 1996. (German)
• Ben R. Guttery (1998). Encyclopedia of African airlines (illustrated ed.). p. 43. ISBN 9780786404957.