The runway covered in lava after the 2002 eruption
Initially built with a paved 3000 m runway and a large terminal and apron, the airport has not recovered from the 2002 eruption of the volcano Nyiragongo, 14 km to the north. The airport couldn't handle any wide-bodied aircraft except for freight operations run by relief agencies and the United Nations. A stream of fluid lava 200 m by 1000 m wide flowed onto the runway and through the city center as far as the lake shore, covering over the northern 1000 m of the runway and isolating the terminal and apron which were only connected by taxiway to the northern end. The lava can easily be seen in satellite photographs,[2] and aircraft can be seen using the 2000 m southern section of the runway which is clear of lava. A temporary apron was made at the side of the operational part of the runway. A Douglas DC-8 was left stranded on the terminal apron, which is now used by commercial passengers and the military. In December 2012, a contractor began work on cleaning up and fencing in the airport.[3] In February 2017, satellite imagery showed the runway had not yet been repaired where the lava damage occurred.[4] Repairs were started during 2019 and completed by August 2020 according to satellite imagery from Google.
News reports first indicated that lava from the 2021 Mount Nyiragongo eruption reached the airport.[5] It was later confirmed that the airport was unaffected.[6]
On 24 November 2019, 2019 Busy Bee crash, a 19-seat airplane from local carrier Busy Bee en route to Beni Airport crashed shortly after takeoff around 9:10 a.m. At least 27 died, including some on the ground.[18]
^Fittarelli, Alberto (26 June 2017). "The Strange Tale of the Georgians in Congo". bellingcat. Retrieved 26 June 2017. However, a list published in October 2007 by the Dutch aviation magazine Scramble appears to show that on 19 July 2007, two Mi-24V helicopters with registration number 9T-HM11 and, more importantly, 9T-HM12 were registered, again by the FAC (here named "DR Congo Air Force"), as based at an airport with IATA code GOM – a.k.a. Goma International Airport [...] No evidence of affiliation with the MONUSCO operations under UNSC resolution 2098 was located, despite the pilots clearly operating from the same facilities – most notably, Goma International Airport.
