~15 km northeast of central Lubumbashi · Haut-Katanga Province · Visa required in advance · CDF

Lubumbashi International Airport (FBM) — Airport Guide 2026

FBM’s single runway was closed Thursday through Sunday from 16 April to 16 July 2026 for rehabilitation to ICAO Code E standard; that window has passed and no extension or replacement notice has been issued. The rest of the picture: a modest terminal serving the DRC’s copper-and-cobalt south, a construction site where an 8,000 m² replacement building is going up, a US Level 4 advisory covering the whole country, and an Ebola outbreak that means US citizens must spend 21 days outside the DRC before they can board a flight home.

Quick Reference

IATA / ICAO
FBM / FZQA

Location
~15 km northeast of central Lubumbashi, Haut-Katanga Province

Terminal
Single existing terminal; new 8,000 m² terminal under construction (due end-2026)

2026 runway works
The Thu–Sun closure ran 16 Apr–16 Jul 2026 and has ended; no extension or replacement NOTAM. Terminal construction continues.

Currency
Congolese franc (CDF, FC). ≈ 2,300 FC to US$1, ≈ 2,670 FC to €1 (UN operational rate, 1 Sep 2026). US dollars widely accepted.

Airport to city
~15 km, 20–40 min by road. Hotel transfer ~US$40–60; negotiated taxi ~US$20–40. No metro, no ride-hailing.

Visa
Required in advance for nearly all nationalities. VAP: US$390 total, 7-day single entry. No general visa-on-arrival.

Yellow fever
Mandatory WHO International Certificate for all travellers, shot at least 10 days before arrival.

Lounge
Malabar Business Travel Lounge (landside) — Priority Pass + walk-in.

Carriers
Ethiopian, Kenya Airways, RwandAir, Airlink, SAA, Air Tanzania, Mahogany Air (international); Air Congo, CAA (domestic). Congo Airways publishes no flight schedule.

Travel advisory
US Level 4 “Do Not Travel”, nationwide (15 Jul 2026). The UK FCDO advises against travel to named regions only — Haut-Katanga and Lubumbashi are on neither list. Ebola: WHO PHEIC declared 17 May; US citizens who have been in the DRC cannot board flights into the United States for 21 days. Cholera endemic in Katanga.

Layover verdict
Not a layover-sightseeing city. Transiting passengers: stay airside.

✈️ The Airport in 2026: Runway Closure, Construction, and a Thin Schedule

FBM serves Lubumbashi and the mining economy of Haut-Katanga Province. It is not a connecting hub in the Nairobi or Addis Ababa sense — the overwhelming majority of people arriving here have Lubumbashi itself, or a mine site in the province, as their actual destination. The passenger split is regional Africa, domestic DRC, and a steady stream of mining-sector business travellers.

ℹ️ The Thursday-to-Sunday runway closure has ended
The single 3,200 m runway was closed to all traffic Thursday through Sunday, from 05:31 UTC on 16 April to 23:59 UTC on 16 July 2026, for works. That window has passed. NOTAM A0063/26 is the only notice on file for FZQA, its own text bounds the restriction to 16 April–16 July 2026, and no extension or replacement has been issued — so the four-day weekly closure no longer applies. Confirm your specific date with the airline anyway: the terminal rebuild is still running.

The disruption is the visible part of a larger modernisation programme. In April 2025, President Tshisekedi laid the foundation stone of a rebuild contracted to the Turkish construction company Summa: a new 8,000 m² terminal designed for up to one million passengers a year, wide-body apron expansion, and the runway rehabilitation to Code E standard that caused the four-day weekly blackout in the spring. Completion is scheduled around the end of December 2026.

The existing terminal, meanwhile, is functional rather than comfortable, and has outlived its design capacity. Expect crowding on operating days, particularly during morning banks.

✈️ Carriers

The international routes run to regional Africa: Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa, Kenya Airways to Nairobi, RwandAir to Kigali, both Airlink and South African Airways to Johannesburg, Air Tanzania to Dar es Salaam, and Mahogany Air linking the DRC Copperbelt to Ndola and Lusaka on the Zambian side — the main routing for the cross-border mining trade. The domestic network, operated by Air Congo and Compagnie Africaine d’Aviation (CAA), reaches Kinshasa, Kolwezi, Mbuji-Mayi, Kananga, Kalemie, and Kamina. Congo Airways still lists Lubumbashi among its destinations but publishes no flights: its own timetable page renders an empty table and its most recent announcements are two cancellation notices dated 13 June 2022. Do not build a connection on it without a confirmed booking.

Etihad has announced an Abu Dhabi route from Lubumbashi. It does not begin until March 2027 and is not a 2026 option.

With the three-day operating window behind it, the constraint is the schedule itself: frequency is thin outside the main regional rotations, so connections here have less slack than the route map suggests. Confirm every segment.

🛂 Border & Visa

The DRC operates one of the stricter entry regimes in central and eastern Africa.

⚠️ No visa-on-arrival — caution: you must be approved before you board
There is no general visa-on-arrival at FBM or anywhere in the DRC. Almost every foreign visitor must hold an approved visa before checking in for their flight. Apply online via evisa.gouv.cd or through a DRC embassy. Arriving without a visa is not a recoverable situation at the Luano desk.

Who is visa-exempt

Six countries can enter visa-free for stays of up to 90 days: Burundi, the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. In April 2025 the DRC abolished a separate visa exemption it had granted to Zimbabwean transport drivers; the remaining Zimbabwean exemption is the ordinary-traveller one, not a haulage carve-out. The DRC is a SADC member, but the SADC Protocol on the Facilitation of Movement of Persons is not in force for the DRC — a SADC passport does not buy visa-free entry beyond those six countries.

The VAP — Visa Aéroportuaire

For all other nationalities, the short-visit instrument is the VAP (Visa Aéroportuaire), a pre-approved airport visa obtained online via evisa.gouv.cd. Despite the name it is not a true visa-on-arrival: you apply in advance, receive approval before flying, and pay the balance on arrival.

💳 VAP visa — US$390 total, 7-day single entry, apply before you fly
US$300 paid with the online application; US$90 settled on arrival at FBM. Single entry, valid for stays up to 7 days, must be used within three months of issue. The application requires a passport scan, a photo, the yellow-fever certificate, an itinerary, and proof of accommodation. For stays beyond 7 days, a standard embassy visa is the route — processing typically runs one to two weeks, with single-entry one-month visas starting around US$100.

Yellow fever — a hard gate

💉 Yellow fever certificate mandatory — missing it means refusal at the border
A WHO International Certificate of Vaccination is required for all travellers. The shot must have been administered at least 10 days before arrival. Carry the physical certificate — it is checked at the Luano border and is also a required document for the e-visa application itself. Arriving without it is one of the most common reasons for refusal at FBM.

🚕 Getting Into the City

The airport sits about 15 km northeast of central Lubumbashi — a drive of 20 to 40 minutes depending on traffic. There is no airport train, no metro, and no ride-hailing apps. Uber and Bolt do not operate in Lubumbashi.

🚕 No ride-hailing — avoid unsolicited offers inside the terminal
Every ground transport option at FBM is negotiated on the ground or arranged in advance. Do not accept an unsolicited ride offer inside the terminal from someone without a hotel name placard — the standard approach is an undefined price that becomes a large one on arrival. Use a driver from the official rank or a hotel-booked car.

Pre-arranged hotel transfer

A transfer booked through your hotel before arrival runs roughly US$40–60, with a fixed price and a named driver waiting at arrivals. For a first-time arrival into an unfamiliar city while carrying cash, that predictability is worth the premium over a kerb taxi. Most business-oriented hotels in Lubumbashi arrange this as standard.

Airport taxi

Metered taxis are not the norm. A taxi from the airport rank to the city centre runs roughly US$20–40, negotiated before the car moves. Agree the full fare and the currency — dollars or francs — before you get in and before luggage goes in the boot. Leaving the price open is how it becomes a problem.

Shared minibuses

Shared taxis and minibuses serve the airport road for a few dollars and are how locals travel. For an international arrival with luggage and no prior knowledge of the city, they are slow, crowded, and leave you navigating the rest of the journey on foot. Note them as the budget option; the hotel car or a negotiated taxi is the right call on arrival.

🛋️ Lounge: Malabar Business Travel

🛋️ Malabar Business Travel Lounge — landside, Priority Pass accepted, plan your timing
FBM has one lounge: the Malabar Business Travel Lounge, and the detail that catches people out is that it is landside, not airside. Entry is via the Malabar Business Travel office off the car park; staff check you in and escort you through. It serves both departing and arriving passengers, accepts Priority Pass alongside walk-up payment, and operates effectively round-the-clock. There is no airside Priority Pass lounge — Malabar is the only option, and it sits before security and immigration. Use it, then proceed through the airport’s controls to the gate. Do not treat it as a place to sit until final call.

What the lounge offers is modest and honest about it: Wi-Fi, newspapers and magazines, snacks and drinks, and an outdoor smoking terrace.

🍽️ Food Before You Fly

The airport’s own catering is limited. This is not a terminal to plan a meal around. If you have genuine time in the city, eat there; if you are airside, a drink and a snack is a realistic expectation.

The local cooking in Lubumbashi draws on Katangan staples: fufu (cassava or maize dough, eaten by hand), bukari and ugali-style stiff porridge, grilled river and lake fish, brochettes (grilled meat skewers), and pondu (cassava leaves stewed with palm oil). These belong in the city, not the terminal.

💵 Cash & Connectivity

💵 Cash economy — bring clean, recent US dollar bills before you arrive
Lubumbashi runs heavily on US dollars alongside the Congolese franc. Hotels, restaurants, taxis, and most larger transactions accept dollars. Bring clean, recent, undamaged notes — torn, marked, or older-series bills are routinely refused, and large denominations sometimes attract a worse rate. Keep small-denomination francs for taxis, market stalls, and tips. The franc trades at roughly 2,300 FC to the US dollar and 2,670 FC to the euro on the UN operational rate effective 1 September 2026. Cards and ATMs are unreliable outside a few hotels — treat this as a cash economy and carry what you need before landing.

For mobile data: buy a local SIM in the city (Vodacom, Airtel, and Orange all operate in the DRC) using your passport for registration. Coverage in Lubumbashi is workable; outside the city, less so. Airport and hotel Wi-Fi is patchy — do not depend on it for anything time-sensitive.

💡 Layover Reality: Should You Leave the Terminal?

No. Lubumbashi is not a layover-sightseeing city, and a transiting traveller should not treat it as one in 2026.

🚨 Ebola: US citizens cannot fly home for 21 days after leaving the DRC
The State Department’s current DRC advisory opens with it. Because of the Ebola outbreak, the Department of Homeland Security has implemented restrictions under Title 49 of the US Code which prevent US citizens and nationals who have been in the DRC within a 21-day period from boarding commercial flights into the United States; they must remain outside the DRC for 21 days before boarding a flight to the US. The World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 17 May, and the DRC Ministry of Health announced the outbreak of Ebola Bundibugyo in north-eastern Ituri Province on 15 May. Ituri is a long way from Haut-Katanga, but the US boarding restriction applies to anyone who has been in the DRC at all. Budget the three weeks before you book.

🚨 Travel warning: US Level 4 nationwide — the FCDO’s advice is regional
The US State Department rates the entire DRC as Level 4 “Do Not Travel” (updated 15 July 2026). The UK FCDO does not. It advises against all travel to named areas only — within 50 km of the Central African Republic border, Haut-Uélé and Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Maniema, Tanganyika, Haut-Lomami and Kwamouth territory — and against all but essential travel to two areas of Kinshasa Province, Upemba National Park and Bangoka International Airport in Kisangani. Neither Haut-Katanga nor Lubumbashi is on either list (page updated 26 August 2026). That matters for money as well as risk: it is FCDO advice against travel that voids UK travel insurance. France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs specifically flags rising insecurity in provincial cities, naming Lubumbashi, and lists cholera as endemic in Katanga, Kasaï and North Kivu.

The distinction between Haut-Katanga and the conflict-hit east is real and worth stating clearly: the fighting involving M23 and other armed groups is concentrated in North and South Kivu, Ituri, and the Kasais — hundreds of kilometres from Lubumbashi. Haut-Katanga is a functioning industrial province. But “calmer than Kivu” is not the same as “low risk,” and the nationwide Level 4 rating still applies here.

The layover arithmetic compounds the advisory: no ride-hailing, a cash economy where you would be carrying dollar bills, taxis negotiated by the kerb rather than metered, and a thin schedule that compresses any connection’s margin. There is no sight or monument in Lubumbashi that justifies overriding a Level 4 advisory on a transit layover.

For travellers whose destination is Lubumbashi — mining-sector visitors, people arriving with local hosts and a fixed programme — the situation is different. They arrive with a named driver, a hotel arrangement, and a reason to be in the city. The advice above is addressed to the transiting passenger weighing a few spare hours, for whom the Malabar lounge is the right call.

❓ FAQ

How do I get from Lubumbashi airport to the city centre? +

By road only — there is no airport train or metro, and Uber, Bolt, and ride-hailing apps do not operate in Lubumbashi. A pre-booked hotel transfer is the most straightforward option at roughly US$40–60, with a fixed price agreed before arrival. A taxi from the airport rank runs about US$20–40, negotiated before the car moves — agree the fare and the currency before luggage goes in the boot. The drive is about 15 km and takes 20 to 40 minutes depending on traffic. Avoid anyone offering an unsolicited ride inside the terminal.

Do I need a visa to enter the DRC at Lubumbashi, and is there visa-on-arrival? +

Yes, you need a visa, and no, there is no general visa-on-arrival. Apply in advance via evisa.gouv.cd. For short visits, the VAP (Visa Aéroportuaire) is single-entry, valid for up to 7 days, and costs US$390 total — US$300 paid online and US$90 settled on arrival. It must be approved before you fly; it is not an arrival product. Citizens of Burundi, the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe can enter visa-free for up to 90 days. Everyone else needs the e-visa or an embassy visa.

Is a yellow-fever certificate required for the DRC? +

Yes, a yellow-fever vaccination certificate is mandatory for all travellers. The shot must have been given at least 10 days before arrival. Carry the physical WHO International Certificate — it is checked at the Luano border and is a required document for the VAP e-visa application. Missing it is one of the most common reasons for refusal at FBM, and it cannot be sorted out on arrival.

Is the airport affected by construction or schedule restrictions in 2026? +

Construction yes, the runway restriction no longer. The single 3,200 m runway was closed to air traffic Thursday through Sunday between 16 April and 16 July 2026 — from 05:31 UTC on 16 April to 23:59 UTC on 16 July — and that window has passed. NOTAM A0063/26 is the only notice on file for FZQA and no extension or replacement has been issued, so the four-day weekly closure no longer applies. Separately, a new 8,000 m² terminal is under construction by the Turkish contractor Summa — foundation stone laid by President Tshisekedi in April 2025 — scheduled for completion around the end of December 2026. Confirm your specific date with the airline; work on the airfield is still under way.

What currency does Lubumbashi use, and are US dollars accepted? +

The Congolese franc (CDF, FC), trading at roughly 2,300 FC to the US dollar and 2,670 FC to the euro on the UN operational rate effective 1 September 2026. US dollars are widely accepted alongside the franc for hotels, restaurants, and taxis. Bring clean, recent, undamaged dollar bills — worn or older-series notes are often refused, and large denominations can attract a worse rate. Keep small-denomination francs for taxis, market stalls, and tips. Cards and ATMs are unreliable outside a few hotels; plan your cash before arriving.

Is there a lounge at Lubumbashi airport, and does it accept Priority Pass? +

Yes — the Malabar Business Travel Lounge accepts Priority Pass as well as walk-up paying guests. The critical detail: it is landside, not airside. Entry is via the Malabar Business Travel office off the car park; staff check you in and escort you through. It serves both arriving and departing passengers, operates effectively round-the-clock, and offers Wi-Fi, snacks and drinks, newspapers and magazines, and an outdoor smoking terrace. There is no airside Priority Pass lounge — Malabar is the only option, and it sits before security and immigration. Budget time accordingly.

Can I leave the airport and see Lubumbashi on a layover? +

For a transiting passenger, no. The whole DRC is under a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory from the US State Department. The UK FCDO is narrower: it advises against all travel to named areas only, and neither Haut-Katanga nor Lubumbashi is on that list or on the all-but-essential one. France’s foreign ministry flags rising insecurity in Lubumbashi specifically and lists cholera as endemic in Katanga. The bigger issue for a US passport is Ebola: the Department of Homeland Security prevents US citizens and nationals who have been in the DRC within a 21-day period from boarding commercial flights into the United States, so even a short stop here means 21 days outside the country before you can fly home. The city is calmer than the conflict-affected east, but the US nationwide advisory applies here too. If you have specific business in the city, use a pre-arranged hotel transfer; otherwise, stay airside.

Which airlines fly to Lubumbashi in 2026? +

International routes: Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa, Kenya Airways to Nairobi, RwandAir to Kigali, Airlink and South African Airways to Johannesburg, Air Tanzania to Dar es Salaam, and Mahogany Air to Ndola and Lusaka (Zambia). Domestic routes are operated by Air Congo and Compagnie Africaine d’Aviation (CAA) to destinations including Kinshasa, Kolwezi, Mbuji-Mayi, Kananga, Kalemie, and Kamina. Congo Airways still lists Lubumbashi as a destination but publishes no timetable — its own flight-schedule page is empty and its latest announcements are cancellation notices from June 2022 — so do not count on it without a confirmed booking. Etihad has announced an Abu Dhabi service from Lubumbashi, but it does not begin until March 2027.

What documents do I need before flying to FBM? +

At minimum: a passport valid for at least six months, a DRC visa approved before you board (VAP from evisa.gouv.cd or an embassy visa), the physical WHO yellow-fever certificate with the shot given at least 10 days before arrival, proof of accommodation, and an itinerary — the latter two are required for the VAP application. The VAP also requires US$90 paid on arrival in addition to the US$300 paid online. There is no on-arrival visa fallback for most nationalities. US citizens and nationals should plan for the Ebola restriction as well: the Department of Homeland Security prevents anyone who has been in the DRC within a 21-day period from boarding a commercial flight into the United States, so a return home has to allow 21 days outside the country first.

Is Lubumbashi safe — is it like eastern Congo? +

Lubumbashi and Haut-Katanga are far from the armed conflict in the east. The fighting involving M23 and other armed groups is concentrated in North and South Kivu, Ituri, and the Kasais — hundreds of kilometres away. Lubumbashi is a functioning industrial city and operates normally. That said, the US nationwide Level 4 travel advisory still applies, urban crime is a real concern, and cholera is endemic in Katanga. The country-level fact that catches people out is Ebola: the WHO declared the outbreak in the DRC and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 17 May, and US citizens who have been anywhere in the DRC must spend 21 days outside it before boarding a flight to the United States. “Calmer than the east” is accurate; “low risk” is not.

📊 At a Glance — FBM 2026

Item	Detail
IATA / ICAO	FBM / FZQA
Full name	Lubumbashi International Airport / Luano Airport
Distance to centre	~15 km northeast; 20–40 min by road
Terminal	Single existing terminal; new 8,000 m² terminal under construction, due end-2026
2026 runway works	Thu–Sun closure ran 16 Apr–16 Jul 2026 and has ENDED; no extension or replacement NOTAM; terminal construction continues
Airport to city	Hotel transfer ~US$40–60; negotiated taxi ~US$20–40; no metro, no ride-hailing
Currency	CDF (FC); ≈ 2,300 FC/US$1, ≈ 2,670 FC/€1 (UN operational rate, 1 Sep 2026); US dollars widely accepted
Payment	Cash economy — clean US dollar bills + small CDF; cards and ATMs unreliable
Visa	Required in advance for nearly all; VAP: US$390 total (US$300 online + US$90 on arrival), 7-day single entry; no general visa-on-arrival
Visa-free	Burundi, Congo-Brazzaville, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe (90 days)
Yellow fever	Mandatory WHO International Certificate for all travellers
Lounge	Malabar Business Travel (landside) — Priority Pass + walk-in
Carriers	Ethiopian, Kenya Airways, RwandAir, Airlink, SAA, Air Tanzania, Mahogany Air; domestic: Air Congo, CAA (Congo Airways publishes no flight schedule)
Travel advisory	US Level 4 “Do Not Travel”, nationwide (15 Jul 2026); UK FCDO advises against travel to named areas only, and Haut-Katanga and Lubumbashi are on neither list (26 Aug 2026); WHO Ebola PHEIC 17 May, with a US 21-day boarding restriction for anyone who has been in the DRC; cholera endemic in Katanga
Layover verdict	Not a layover-sightseeing city; transiting passengers should stay airside