| |||||||
| Founded | 1976 (as SBZ Cargo) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1998 | ||||||
| Operating bases | N'djili Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | max. 15 aircraft (in 1987) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (originally Zaire) | ||||||
| Key people | Jeannot Bemba Saolona, President Jose Numes, Chief Pilot[1][2] | ||||||
Scibe Airlift was an airline from Zaire (today known as Democratic Republic of the Congo), with its base at N'Djili Airport, Kinshasa.[3]
The airline started activities in November 1976 as SBZ Cargo 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, which allowed for serving Europe. In the early 1990s Scibe Airlift was at its height, serving a multitude of destinations and leasing its aircraft out to European airlines. In 1992, it operated a DC-10-30 on its Kinshasa-Brussels route.
The political instability of the country and the poor financial management of the company brought it to an end. Scibe Airlift ceased its operations on 29 September 1998 when its last aircraft was stored at London Southend Airport.[4]
