Mozambique’s aviation sector ‘not in the best shape’, says transport minister

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Mozambique’s aviation sector ‘not in the best shape’, says transport minister

1:41 CAT | 07 Nov 2025

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Notícias]

Mozambique’s Minister of Transport and Communications, João Matlombe, acknowledged on Friday that the country’s aviation sector is not in good condition, stressing that mistakes cannot be perpetuated in a context of “challenges and disinvestment.”

“Our aviation system, unfortunately, at this moment, is not in the best condition,” João Matlombe said during the opening of the consultation session on the Civil Aviation Master Plan (2026–2045), held in Maputo.

According to the minister, Mozambique’s aviation sector faces “many challenges” — a sector that “is sometimes mistaken for an airline” — with safety concerns and “disinvestment” in airport infrastructure.

“We have the right to make different mistakes. What we cannot do is assume that what has not worked, or what does not work well, must be perpetuated. Unfortunately, at this moment, we do not have a good reference point in terms of the aviation system,” he admitted.

The minister’s comments come at a time when the state-owned airline, LAM, is undergoing restructuring, leasing new aircraft and resuming international routes, but also facing public criticism over its domestic flight fares.

Matlombe admitted that it is difficult to assess the tariffs applied by companies when the country still issues aviation licences to operators without a business plan. It is necessary, he said, “to see whether what is being charged makes sense or not.”

“Each operator is licensed every day and does what they want. There must be safety and predictability for investors as well. When an investor puts in money, they must know they can recover it — there must also be protection for investors,” he said, noting that this gap undermines the security of investments made in the country.

The minister also defended the need for a national regulator with a “strong, firm role, convinced that it can and must organise,” with the duty to take a position and not act merely as an “observer.” He stressed that the regulator must also ensure balance in the market, “requiring that all operators wishing to participate in the domestic market also play a part in social activities.”

In June, the state-owned company Aeroportos de Moçambique announced in its annual report and accounts that it had almost doubled its losses in 2024, reaching 1.531 billion meticais (€20.8 million).

According to the document, Aeroportos de Moçambique had already recorded losses of 849.5 million meticais (€11.5 million) in 2023 — an increase of 80.3% year on year. In 2022, losses totalled 820.5 million meticais (€11.2 million), and in 2021, the company also reported a negative net result of 215.6 million meticais (€2.9 million).

Nevertheless, the company noted in the report that passenger air traffic grew by 4.16% compared to 2023, reaching 2,055,435 passengers, while aircraft movements rose by 1.5% to 61,182. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2019, Mozambique recorded 2,296,370 passengers and 70,602 aircraft movements.

Aeroportos de Moçambique explained that this growth in 2024 was due to the performance of the national airline, LAM, which accounted for 64% of passengers and exceeded not only 2023 levels but also the historical peak recorded in 2019.

Source: Lusa