Mozambique

1) What have been your achievements in CAA and aviation in your country in 2022 ?

USAP

In 2022, ICAO conducted a Universal Safety Audit and no SSCs were recorded. There has been great progress and improvement since the last audit and we continue to strive for an even higher rating towards maintaining an effective State Aviation Security Oversight System.

State Safety Program (SSP)

Annex 19 defines that each State must establish and maintain a State Safety Program (SSP). The country has made progress in this direction. EASA conducted training in SSP in 2022, to IACM technicians. Moçambique was invited to participate, as an assistant member, in the audit that Brazil is receiving from ICAO on SSP, this year 2023. These trainings and partnerships with other civil aviation authorities that are already more developed in relation to the implementation of the SSP will provide the country with valuable technical tools for the implementation of this universal desideratum.

Civil Aviation Master Plan

The Civil Aviation Master Plan is a very important tool for the implementation of SAATM on the African continent, as it allows countries to define the long term strategic planning for their civil aviation systems and in parallel understand clearly and systematically how civil aviation can contribute to the productive areas of the country, such as Tourism Industry. Therefore, as the main and guiding document, the master plan will provide the premises for the harmonious and sustainable development of the system, bringing together all the variables of social, economic and environmental development that the country has been adopting.

Moçambique launched in 2022 the master plan programme with the support of World Bank funds. To this end, the country has already launched an international tender to select the firm that will develop the project. It is projected that the final Master Plan document will be presented in mid-2024.

Post COVID 19

One of the major achievements in the field of aviation in Moçambique is the steady recovery of the air transport sector post COVID. The sector is gradually recovering with a reasonable and growing traffic record for both cargo and passengers.

BASA Reviews

We anticipate further growth in the sector and intra-African connectivity with the lifting of COVID 19 restrictions and the advent of the SAATM PIP in 2023 onwards. We continue to engage AFCAC member states in reviewing BASAs, aligning them with the YD. Our regulatory framework is fully compliant with the requirements of the YD. We are ready for the full implementation of the YD/ SAATM PIP, with expectation that African airlines will exercise their rights.

2) What are your challenges and how can AFCAC assist you?

We are a little behind in capacity building, in the Economic and Regulatory area. We require assistance in:

• Air Transport training (development of economic regulations)
• Implementation of competition and consumer protection regulations, and
• Member States’ awareness of the remaining bureaucratic barriers that have resulted in delays in the full implementation of SAATM.

3) Your commitment to SAATM: how are you going to proceed with the implementation?

As indicated above, we have aligned our Air Services Agreements, in line with the provisions of the Doha Declaration, with 9 of the 15 African States concerned. We will continue to engage the remaining 6 African States with a view to fully complying with the SAATM Pilot Implementation Project (PIP). We are also reviewing all existing BASAs with the remaining African States, which are not yet part of SAATM, ensuring that the revised BASAs fully comply with the Yamoussoukro Decision.

4) What can you say about SAATM PIP?

It is a good initiative, the spirit of which can indeed accelerate air transport liberalisation, connectivity and integration in Africa. However, there must be a willingness among Member States and the airlines involved to ensure its manifestation, otherwise it ends up being an abandoned African initiative. AFCAC can help by continuously engaging the political will in Member States through the AU, sensitizing them on the benefits of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).