Mozambique: Passenger numbers on domestic flights fall 5% in Q4 2024

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Mozambique: Passenger numbers on domestic flights fall 5% in Q4 2024

2:11 CAT | 14 May 2025

File photo: O País

Passenger numbers on domestic flights in Mozambique fell by 5% in the last quarter of 2024, to 292,753, as a result of problems with air connections, according to information from the Civil Aviation Authority of Mozambique (IACM) consulted today by Lusa.

According to a report by the IACM, this movement contrasts with the 309,588 passengers on domestic flights in the fourth quarter of 2023, reflecting the operational problems that have been affecting the state-owned Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (LAM) for several months.

In terms of aircraft , domestic movement fell by 12%, with 8,427 in the last quarter of last year.

“Reduction in aircraft movement at a domestic level due to flight delays,” read the conclusions of the report, which also recognizes that the increase in fuel costs in this period, as well as in aircraft maintenance, “and other operational costs”, made air transport “less economically viable”.

In regional transport, in Africa, the number of passengers transported in the last quarter of last year grew by 12%, to 135,106, while intercontinental flights grew by 46%, to 43,514.

At the end of 2024, 88 aircraft were registered in Mozambique, with 14 commercial operators using a total of 12 airports, 21 public aerodromes and 256 private aerodromes.

This month, LAM announced the temporary integration of a Boeing 737-500 aircraft into its fleet, as a way of “relieving the pressure” that the company has been feeling on daily flights.

In a statement, the state-owned air carrier said that the aircraft has been operating since May 6, with the capacity to transport 134 passengers and “the advantage of accommodating more volumes and cargo”.

“Relieving the pressure on the company’s daily flights,” explains LAM, adding that it will now operate with four aircraft, including the previous ones: a CRJ 900 and two Embraer 145s.

On April 24, LAM justified the cancellation and constant rescheduling of flights by the reduction of its fleet to three aircraft, following the withdrawal of two South African CemAir CRJ 900 aircraft, following the unilateral termination of the contract.

With the withdrawal of the 90-seater aircraft, the Mozambican state-owned company now operates with three aircraft (now four) and also has another one, with a capacity for 37 passengers, but which does not operate regularly, as it is not owned by LAM.

LAM stated that the termination of the contract with the South African company that owns the CRJ 900 aircraft was done “unilaterally, without prior notice”, with consequences in the “drastic reduction of passenger flow”.

On January 31st, the company launched a procedure to try to contract the supply of Embraer ERJ190 and Boeing 737-700 aircraft, according to a notice previously reported by Lusa, but the results of the competition are not known.

For several years, LAM has been facing operational problems related to a small fleet and lack of investment, with a record of some non-fatal incidents, associated by experts with poor aircraft maintenance.

In February, the government authorized the sale of 91% of the state’s stake in the carrier LAM to state-owned companies, indicating that the amount will be used to acquire eight aircraft.

Source: Lusa