Africa Weekly Aviation Trails: Week 22, 2025.

Introduction.

The 10th Edition of AFI Aviation Week, held from 26 to 30 May 2025 at the Elephant Hills Resort in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, brought together aviation leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders from the Africa-Indian Ocean (AFI) region under the organization of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The event featured key components such as the Directors General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Meeting, which reviewed aviation performance and capacity-building priorities, and a three-day AFI Aviation Symposium that aligned regional discussions with ICAO’s 2026–2050 Strategic Plan. Steering Committees for the AFI Plan and AFI SECFAL Plan also convened to assess implementation reports and future work programs, while the closing plenary summarized key outcomes and guided future regional aviation actions.

AOCs/ASLs/Regulations.

On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, Spain’s Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee approved a proposal to block the transfer of airspace control over Western Sahara to Morocco, ensuring it remains under Spain’s ENAIRE agency, which has managed it since 1976 in accordance with ICAO regulations. The People’s Party advocated for transparency and parliamentary oversight of ongoing negotiations, warning that any handover without ICAO approval would violate international law and could be interpreted as de facto recognition of Moroccan sovereignty—a move likely to spark diplomatic tensions with the European Union. Both the European Commission and the Court of Justice of the European Union have previously ruled that EU-Morocco aviation agreements do not extend to Western Sahara, reinforcing the region’s status under international law as a non-self-governing territory. Currently, there is no legal framework governing commercial air services between the EU and Western Sahara, often referred to as Africa’s last colony.

In Nigeria, the Federal Government has lifted a temporary suspension on helicopter landing charges for air navigation services tied to oil company operations in the Gulf of Guinea. With this move, Naebi Dynamic Concepts Ltd, the appointed consultant, is authorized to resume billing oil companies directly. However, helicopters operated by members of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) remain exempt from these charges. The suspension, originally implemented in June 2024 by Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo in response to AON’s concerns, has now been officially lifted.