Sabena Flight 877
Sabena Flight 877 operated as a scheduled passenger service originating from Brussels Airport in Belgium, destined for Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, with an intermediate stop at Bujumbura International Airport in Burundi. On 4 December 2000, during the aircraft’s landing phase at Bujumbura, it came under fire from machine guns wielded by Hutu insurgents. The assault targeted the Airbus A330-223 conducting the flight, resulting in damage to the plane and injuries to two of the 170 occupants on board. No lives were lost.
Incident
At 17:23 local time, Flight 877 received clearance to land at Bujumbura. Out of 158 passengers, 76 disembarked there, while the remainder proceeded onward to Nairobi.
The aircraft made its approach to runway 17 at Bujumbura Airport, flying over Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This approach was likely chosen due to either issues with runway lighting or terrain factors that favored runway 17 instead of runway 35.
Approximately at 17:56, when the plane was about from the runway threshold, it was subjected to around 20 seconds of machine gunfire before completing a safe landing. Two people sustained injuries during the attack. Damage to the nose wheel hydraulics complicated taxi operations after touchdown.
Investigation
An inquiry was initiated by Burundi’s attorney general involving personnel from the airport, military forces, passengers, and crew members. The attack was linked to Hutu rebel factions opposed to a recent peace accord and who suspected that the aircraft was transporting weapons. Legal action resulted in three individuals being charged and four others detained in connection with the event.
On 21 December 2000, Belgian judicial authorities conducted an inspection of the aircraft’s damage at Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport, where it was undergoing repairs.
Aftermath
Following the incident, Sabena promptly halted all flights serving Burundi, and this route was eventually discontinued after the airline ceased operations. Seven years later, Brussels Airlines reinstated flights to Burundi. Passengers traveling onward to Nairobi were accommodated by Kenya Airways on the following day.
After provisional repairs were completed, the aircraft was flown without passengers to Nairobi, carrying Sabena technical staff onboard, before continuing to Bordeaux for comprehensive restoration work. The plane returned to Brussels on 13 January 2001 and resumed commercial operations on 16 January with a flight bound for Boston, United States.