Agency Report
- AFRAA plans to extend its free route airspace system to Eastern and Southern Africa by the end of 2026.
- The system allows airlines to operate more direct flights, helping reduce fuel costs and carbon emissions.
- The initiative forms part of broader efforts to improve air connectivity and integrate Africa’s aviation market.
The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) plans to extend its Free Route Airspace (FRA) system to Eastern and Southern Africa by the end of 2026, according to Secretary General Abderahmane Berthé.
The initiative would allow airlines to fly more direct routes instead of relying solely on fixed air corridors, helping cut flight times, fuel consumption, operating costs, and carbon emissions.
The system has already operated across West and Central Africa since October 2025. Under the FRA model, airlines can define flight paths more freely based on operational efficiency rather than strictly following predefined routes.
According to Berthé, discussions are scheduled this week with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and regional civil aviation authorities to launch testing phases in the targeted regions. The project comes as African aviation stakeholders work to improve connectivity across a still fragmented continental air transport system.
It also aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, particularly through the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market, which aims to create a more integrated aviation sector across the continent.
Still, several obstacles continue to slow progress. National sovereignty policies maintained by some countries remain one of the main barriers to deeper market integration. The sector also continues to face high operating costs and uneven implementation of regional aviation reforms.
Among the measures still only partially applied is the removal of certain taxes and fees recommended by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to help lower airline ticket prices. So far, Côte d’Ivoire remains the only country to have fully implemented those recommendations.