Open-air smoking outside the terminal building, landside, is permitted at Kinshasa’s N’djili International Airport, before check-in and security. DR Congo’s Law No. 18/035 bans smoking in enclosed public places, workplaces and public transport, and no designated indoor or airside smoking room is confirmed at N’djili’s terminal, so the open air outside the building is the option available.
For international travel through DR Congo, Kinshasa (FIH) is the airport that matters, as the country’s main international gateway.
How Congolese Airport Smoking Works
DR Congo’s Law No. 18/035 (2018), reinforced by a 2022 implementing order, bans smoking in all indoor public places, workplaces and public transport:
- Open-air smoking outside the terminal building, landside, is permitted before security
- No designated smoking area is published by the airport, and no facility after security is confirmed
- E-cigarettes: no airport-specific rule was found; expect the same landside-only pattern as smoking
N’djili International Airport (FIH)
Smoking at N’djili International Airport is open-air only, landside, outside the terminal before security. RVA (Régie des Voies Aériennes) operates the airport; its own services listing names the Salon Okapi and Salon VIP lounges without describing either as a smoking facility, and no smoking room after security is confirmed.
Tips for Smokers at Congolese Airports
- Kinshasa has no confirmed airside or indoor smoking facility — plan to smoke landside before security
- The Salon Okapi and Salon VIP lounges are not listed as smoking facilities in RVA’s own services page
- No designated or marked outdoor spot is published — use the open forecourt clear of the doors
- Vaping follows the same landside-only pattern as smoking; RVA publishes no separate vaping rule
DR Congo Airports Compared: Indoor, Outdoor & After Security
| Airport | After security | Indoor room | Outdoor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| N'djili International Airport (FIH) | – | – | Yes |