Kitomesa Airport

Location: Kitomesa-Lufu, Kongo Central
Status: Abandoned
ICAO Code: None
IATA Code: None
Coordinates: -5.573883°, 13.908857°

Kitomesa, also referred to as Kitomesa-Lufu, was likely established as an agricultural project during the colonial era. While information about Kitomesa is scarce, some online sources reference a colonial-era share certificate issued by the Compagnie Agricole & Industrielle du Congo, specifically mentioning Kitomesa-Lufu.

However, no available historical maps explicitly label this location as Kitomesa.

Approximately 2.8 kilometers south of the former airfield, at -5.597786°, 13.917747°, satellite imagery reveals larger colonial-era buildings, possibly a former factory. Despite these remnants of past industrial-scale agriculture, large-scale farming activities appear to have ceased entirely, with no visible traces of extensive fields or plantations. Instead, the land is now used for small-scale subsistence farming.

Historical Background

Kitomesa Airport first appeared on a 1953 colonial map published by the Institut Géographique du Congo Belge, which indicates its precise location and runway alignment, referring to it as Kitomesa Airport.

Kitomesa 1953 — Kitomesa Airport as seen on a 1953 map. ©Royal Museum for Central Africa

By 1967, the Joint Operations Graphics, published by the U.S. Defense Mapping Agency, continued to depict the airfield.

Kitomesa 1967 — The airfield as seen on the 1967 Joint Operations Graphics.

The runway can still be seen on low-resolution 1985 satellite imagery, though its condition at the time is unclear. However, by 1996, the U.S. Tactical Pilotage Chart no longer depicted Kitomesa Airport, suggesting that the airfield had already ceased operations by that point.

Current Status (as of 2025)

Recent high-resolution satellite imagery confirms that traces of the former runway remain clearly visible.

While vegetation has begun to reclaim the airfield, the plant growth on the site is significantly lower than in the surrounding areas. This suggests that some form of maintenance took place approximately 15 to 20 years ago, though it is unclear for what purpose.

Since the airfield has not been redeveloped and its layout can still be clearly identified, Kitomesa Airport is classified as abandoned.