Serve Air Cargo Boeing 737 Damaged in Kinshasa Runway Excursion

A Serve Air Cargo Boeing 737 was significantly damaged following a runway excursion at Kinshasa N'djili International Airport (FIH) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The incident occurred on May 5th, leading to temporary flight disruptions at the airport, which serves several international carriers.

Serve Air operates cargo flights across the DRC with a fleet of 11 aircraft. The Boeing 737-300 involved in the incident veered off the runway while landing at FIH around 19:00 local time. The aircraft, registered as G-VIIN, was declared "destroyed" after the excursion, which tore off one of its engines.

Images and videos shared on social media showed the aircraft stopped on the grass near the runway. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries or casualties. The incident caused flight disruptions as the airport was temporarily closed while authorities removed the aircraft.

A Brussels Airlines flight from Luanda to Kinshasa was delayed as it had to hold and then turn back before eventually landing over an hour after its scheduled arrival. This temporary disruption comes nearly a week after Kenya Airways suspended flights to Kinshasa due to a separate incident.

Serve Air’s Boeing 737, built in 1991, was first delivered to MALÉV for passenger operations and underwent cargo conversion in 2005 before joining Serve Air in 2020. The incident is one of several involving African carriers over the weekend.