The CEO of a regional airline operating in Congo says a passenger plane crashed on its way from the capital to the city of Kisangani.

Stavros Papaioannou of Hewa Bora Airways says the aircraft crashed Friday afternoon.

He said: "I confirm the crash of one of our planes. I don't yet have the details but it's sure that some of the people died."

Information Minister Lambert Mende says there are 40 survivors but gave no death toll.

Hewa Bora, which means "Fresh Air" in Swahili, has a history of crashes. In April 2008, one of their DC-9s rammed into a bustling market after failing to lift off from Goma's airport, killing at least 40 people.

That same year in September, a Hewa Bora plane carrying 17 people went down in inclement weather killing all on board.