Africa Weekly Aviation Trails: Week 21, 2025.

Introduction.

The 11th African Flight Procedure Programme (AFPP) Steering Committee meeting took place in Lusaka, Zambia, from May 21 to 23, 2025. Hosted by the Zambia Civil Aviation Authority (ZCAA) in partnership with the African Civil Aviation Commission AFCAC and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the meeting brought together key stakeholders responsible for developing and implementing standardized flight procedures across Africa. The AFPP’s goal is to enhance aviation safety, efficiency, and capacity by creating precise instrument flight procedures tailored to African airports.

Concurrently, the 18th plenary session of the Banjul Accord Group (BAG) convened from May 19 to 21, 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria. Hosted by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the event gathered aviation ministers, civil aviation directors, airline operators, and representatives from regional and international aviation bodies. A key outcome was the adoption of a $1 Passenger Safety Charge (PSC) on all international commercial flights departing from BAG member states. This charge will fund the Banjul Accord Group Safety Oversight Organization (BAGASOO) and the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA). The PSC is scheduled to commence on January 1, 2026, with full implementation expected by 2030, subject to national legislative approvals.

From May 19 to 20, 2025, the 12th meeting of the Collaborative Arrangement for the Prevention and Management of Public Health Events in Civil Aviation (CAPSCA EUR-MID/12) was held in Cairo, Egypt. Hosted by Egypt’s Ministry of Civil Aviation and organized in collaboration with ICAO’s Europe/North Atlantic (EUR/NAT) and Middle East (MID) regional offices, this meeting followed the previous CAPSCA EUR-MID session held in Cologne, Germany, in April 2024. The event focused on sharing experiences and best practices among member states to strengthen public health emergency response plans. The goal was to safeguard the continuity and safety of air transport while minimizing the impact of health crises on international travel and trade.

Meanwhile, a four-day training workshop on the Abuja Declaration on Aviation Safety in Africa commenced on May 20, 2025, in Juba, South Sudan. Organized by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA Secretariat) in collaboration with the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat, the workshop supports efforts to boost aviation safety and regulatory capacity across East African, Southern African, and Indian Ocean (EA-SA-IO) regions. Since its adoption in 2012, the Abuja Declaration has outlined 16 key safety targets, including the establishment of autonomous civil aviation authorities and strict compliance with international safety standards, to elevate aviation safety across the continent.