Maputo, June 25, 2026 (Lusa) - The Mozambican Government plans to invest more than €600 million in civil aviation by 2045, including the modernisation of airports, air navigation and safety systems, forecasting almost 2.8 million passengers a year in Maputo.
The Civil Aviation Master Plan (PDAC) 2026–2045, approved this month by the government and to which Lusa gained access on Thursday, sets out a strategy to transform the sector into a driving force for national integration, economic development and regional connectivity, promoting compliance with “international safety and security standards” and “enabling air transport to fully play its role in serving the country, thereby strengthening national cohesion and the country’s socio-economic development”.
According to the document, the main objective is to “maximise air transport’s contribution to economic growth and national competitiveness” through institutional modernisation, enhanced safety, infrastructure expansion and improved domestic and regional connectivity.
Of the total planned investment of US$710.6 million (€607 million), US$440 million (€376 million) will be allocated to the modernisation of airport infrastructure, representing almost two-thirds of the total amount.
Priority projects include the refurbishment of Beira International Airport, the upgrading of capacity and operational flows at Maputo Airport in the south, and the enhancement of Nacala International Airport in the north, which is currently underutilised.
A further US$210 million (€179 million) has been set aside for the modernisation of airspace management between 2026 and 2040, as part of the Airspace Management Modernisation Plan.
The measures include the installation of radar systems, the implementation of ADS-B and ADS-C systems – which enable aircraft to be located and tracked with greater precision during flight – the digitisation of aeronautical information, and the creation of the future National Air Navigation Agency (ANA).
On the institutional front, the Government intends to transform the Mozambican Civil Aviation Institute (IACM) into a body with greater technical and financial autonomy and to establish the ANA to take over air navigation services, separating them from the current airport management.
The PDAC also sets operational safety targets, aiming to increase compliance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audits to over 95% by 2035, through enhanced supervision, certification of infrastructure and operators, cybersecurity and specialised training.
The plan also provides for the relaunch of the National Civil Aviation Academy and training programmes for inspectors, air traffic controllers, technicians and managers, in response to the shortage of specialised professionals identified in the sector.
At an operational level, 142 measures are planned, 80 of which will be implemented in the first five years of the plan, focusing primarily on rectifying non-conformities identified by ICAO, institutional reforms, improving critical infrastructure, enhancing safety and urgently upgrading staff skills.
The plan is also based on high expectations for growth in air traffic, taking as its starting point the 2024 scenario, in which Mozambique handled 2.03 million passengers on domestic and international routes. By 2050, the baseline scenario forecasts that Maputo International Airport will handle around 2.8 million passengers per year, whilst Beira, in the centre of the country, is expected to handle 568,000 passengers annually and Nacala around 200,000 passengers per year.
Funding for the plan is expected to come from the state budget, public-private partnerships, support from the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the European Union and the Japanese cooperation agency JICA, as well as green and climate finance mechanisms.
The document defines civil aviation as “a key driver of national integration” and sets out to develop a “safe, competitive, sustainable and accessible” sector, capable of boosting tourism, trade and the movement of people and goods in Mozambique.
PVJ/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
