Africa Weekly Aviation Trails: Week 26, 2025.

Introduction.

Ethiopia officially joined the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Public Key Directory (PKD) system on June 25, 2025, becoming its 106th member. The certificate of participation was handed over during a ceremony held in Montreal, Canada, and received by Selamawit Dawit, Director General of Ethiopia’s Immigration and Citizenship Service, in the presence of ICAO and Canadian transport officials. The ICAO PKD is a centralized, secure platform for the exchange of cryptographic keys used to authenticate electronic Machine Readable Travel Documents (eMRTDs), such as e‑passports. By joining the PKD, Ethiopia enhances its ability to prevent passport fraud, improve border security, and support the seamless verification of digital passport data at international entry points.

AOCs/ASLs/Regulations.

Uganda and its Northern Corridor partners reached a series of binding reforms during the 11th Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIP) Heads of Civil Aviation Authorities meeting in Kigali, Rwanda on June 26, 2025, aimed at slashing airfares, expanding flight networks, and modernizing regional airspace. Led by Uganda’s Ambassador Richard Kabonero and Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) Director-General Fred Bamwesigye, the meeting approved expanded fifth freedom traffic rights, codeshare/interline agreements, and scheduled a harmonization summit on Passenger Service Charges and Air Navigation Fees in December 2025. Legislation to regulate travel agent pricing is targeted for June 2026, and all partner states aim to accede to the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) by December 2026.

Eighty-nine Nigerian travel agents from the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) have been certified as Gambia Tourism Destination Specialists by the Gambia Institute of Tourism and Hospitality after completing a four-day intensive training program. The course covered destination marketing, tourism trends, regional commerce, and intra-African travel strategies. Gambian parliamentary tourism representative Alieu Baldeh praised the initiative and reaffirmed government support, highlighting cultural tourism as Gambia’s key economic driver.