Airport type Public Elevation AMSL 5,046 ft / 1,538 m 2,000 6,562 Elevation 1,532 m | Operator Government 17/35 2,000 Code GOM Phone +243 992 161 659 | |
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Location Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo Address Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo Similar GYI, Ihusi Hotel, HEAL Africa Hospital, Lake Kivu Serena Hotel, Rusina Hotel | ||
Goma International Airport (IATA: GOM, ICAO: FZNA) is an airport serving Goma, a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa.
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2002 Nyiragongo eruption
Initially built with a paved 3 km 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 1 km 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, and aircraft can be seen using the 2 km 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. In February 2017, satellite imagery showed the runway has not yet been repaired where the lava damage occured .