Europe lifts ban on Mozambican airlines

Pedro Aragão via Wikimedia Commons

The removal of Mozambican airlines from the European Union blacklist - as it is also known - has been greeted with much praise from not only the aviation industry but also from tourism stakeholders in the country.

The audit showed that improvements by the Mozambican Civil Aviation Institute and Mozambican flagship airline LAM to further improve systems for safety oversight, safety management and enforcement of international aviation safety standards were in line with European requirements.

Easier access

Says Natalie-Tenzer-Silva, director at Dana Tours: “The lift of the ban on Mozambican airlines flying to Europe opens up many opportunities not just for Mozambique and Africa, but also for European travellers wanting to visit the destination.”

Not only will travellers from Europe be able to take advantage of easier access to Mozambique, but travellers from other African destinations will possibly be able to use Mozambique as a gateway to Europe, according to Tenzer-Silva,

While no scheduled flights have been confirmed between Mozambique and Europe, Mozambique has signed an agreement with France for scheduled flights between the two countries.

Tender for routes

In addition, a public tender launched in April by the Civil Aviation Authority of Mozambique, for the assignment of domestic, regional and international air routes to private operators should be known in July. In the tender, routes between Mozambique’s eight international airports, which include Maputo, Beira, Inhambane, Vilanculos, Tete, Nampula, Nacala and Pemba and 13 countries are up for grabs, as well as domestic routes between 11 airports in the country.