Faro Airport (Gago Coutinho)
Debts are calculated taking into account a base value of two euros per ton per day. Since 2007, Jean-Pierre Bemba’s plane has been parked in Faro and will return to the State if it is not removed within the next 60 days.
A Boeing 727-100 plane belonging to Jean-Pierre Bemba, current deputy prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been parked at Faro Airport for around 19 years and has accumulated a debt close to one million euros in parking fees to ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal.
According to news, the airport concessionaire formally notified the aircraft owner, giving him a period of 60 days to proceed with its removal. Otherwise, the plane could be declared abandoned and revert to the Portuguese State.
According to the regulated fees guide for national airports, aircraft parking is charged daily based on weight. In the case of Faro Airport, the value is around two euros per ton per day. Taking into account that the Boeing 727-100 weighs around 70 tons and has been immobilized since 2007, the amount accumulated over almost two decades approaches one million euros.
ANA’s notification follows legislative changes approved last year, which gave airport management entities powers to remove abusively parked aircraft. The law determines that, after formal notification to the owner, operator or air carrier, they have 60 days to remove the aircraft from the airport infrastructure. If it is not possible to locate the person responsible, the administrator must publish advertisements in national newspapers of large circulation for three consecutive days. The legal statute further clarifies that all fees and expenses associated with parking and removal remain the responsibility of the owner.
Jean-Pierre Bemba’s plane landed in Faro in April 2007. Months later, the Congolese politician was detained in Belgiumaccused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. As part of the legal proceedings at the International Criminal Court, several assets were seized, including the aircraft, a property in Quinta do Lago, two luxury cars and a yacht.
After being acquitted in ICC proceedings, Bemba returned to his country in 2023, having assumed government roles, first as Minister of Defense and, currently, as Deputy Prime Minister.
