Kigali International Airport - Incidents and Accidents

Incidents and Accidents

• 6 April 1994 – A Falcon 50 owned by and carrying then-president of Rwanda Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down while approaching the airport, killing all 12 aboard including Habyarimana and then-president of Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira, who were returning from a meeting to end Rwanda's civil war. Ironically the wreckage landed in front of the presidential palace. The attack was blamed on Tutsi rebels, and as a result within one hour of the crash Interahamwe militias had begun the Rwandan Genocide. There is no consensus on who actually shot down or ordered the attack on the plane.

• 1 June 2004 – An Antonov 32 owned by Sun Air (9XR-SN), reportedly suffered some problems with the left main undercarriage after takeoff from Beni (Congo Democratic Republic). The airplane was headed for Goma, Congo, but diverted to Kigali for an emergency landing. The aircraft crashed on landing, causing the Russian pilots and Congolese passengers to sustain serious injuries. The An-32 involved in the accident had been detained in Goma mid-July 2003 because it carried a shipment of armaments destined for a Rwanda-backed militia in the Congolese Kasai region.

• 12 November 2009, RwandAir Flight 205, a Bombardier CRJ-100 crashed into a VIP terminal shortly after an emergency landing; out of the 10 passengers and 5 crew, 1 passenger died.

• The old terminal, now used for VIP departures/arrivals

• Inside the passenger terminal

• The departures lounge