Traffic at Mozambican airports fell by 4.5% in 2016

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Traffic at Mozambican airports fell by 4.5% in 2016

1:06 CAT | 24 Nov 2017

Lusa (File photo)

Passenger traffic at Mozambican airports fell by 4.5 percent in 2016, according to the report and accounts of Mozambican state-owned company Aeroportos de Moçambique.

Mozambique received about 1.9 million passengers on international and domestic flights last year, 90,000 fewer than in 2015.

The decline occurred in an adverse economic year for Mozambique, during which time, according to the document, freight transport and the number of flights also fell in relation to 2015.

Cargo transported at Mozambican airports fell 14.2 percent to 12,000 tonnes, while the number of flights dropped 10 percent to about 61,259 flights.

On the positive side, transported mail rose 35 percent to 467 tons and the number of overflights in the country grew 7.8 percent to about 33,000.

The company reported a loss of EUR 106 million in 2016, a 155 percent of the previous year’s figure.

The results were “heavily impacted by the net unrealised currency exchange losses resulting from the sharp depreciation” of the metical, according to the chairman of the board, Emanuel Chaves.

The devaluation explains that there was a positive operating result of EUR 1.5 million but the overall financial result was a EUR 95 million loss.

Future accounts will depend on the exchange rate of the Mozambican currency, the document emphasises, and the metical has been appreciating against the dollar since September 2016.

Mozambique Airports manages four international airports (Maputo, Beira, Nampula and Nacala) and seven aerodromes (Pemba, Tete, Lichinga, Inhambane, Chimoio, Quelimane and Vilankulo) and eight other secondary aerodromes (Angoche, Bilene, Inhaca , Lumbo, Mocímboa da Praia, Ponta do Ouro, Ulongué and Songo).

The documents released yesterday also highlights that “the current challenge is the certification of airports”, and in 2016, Vilankulo, Pemba and Tete airports received certificates from APCER, the Portuguese Certification Association.

Other noteworthy activities carried out during the last year include the development of airport cities and real estate projects in airports, and the installation and completion of the ADS-B system, which allows for safety improvements throughout domestic airspace.

Source: Lusa