“Our aviation system, unfortunately, is not in the best condition at the moment,” stated João Matlombe during the opening of the Civil Aviation Master Plan (2026-2045) hearing in Maputo.
The official indicated that Mozambique’s aviation sector faces “many challenges” and is sometimes “confused with an airline,” dealing with safety issues and “disinvestment” in airport infrastructure.
“We have the right to make different mistakes. What we cannot do is assume that what hasn’t worked well has to be perpetuated, and unfortunately, we do not currently have a good reference in terms of the aviation system,” he acknowledged.
This stance comes as the state-owned airline LAM undergoes restructuring, leasing new aircraft and resuming international routes, amidst public criticism of domestic flight tariffs.
Matlombe admitted difficulty in assessing company tariffs while the country still issues licenses to aviation operators without business plans, requiring a review “to see if what is being charged makes sense or not.”
“Every day, operators get licensed and do as they please, there must be security, especially for investors. Investors place money, and they need assurance of recovery, so there must also be investor protection,” he stated, noting that the gap undermines investment security in the country.
The minister also advocated for a national regulator with a “strong, firm, and confident role in organizing,” tasked with taking a position and not just acting as a “mere assistant,” while creating conditions for balance, ensuring all operators looking to enter the domestic market contribute socially.
In June, the public company Aeroportos de Moçambique announced in their report and accounts that losses in 2024 nearly doubled to 1.531 billion meticais (20.8 million euros).
According to the document, Aeroportos de Moçambique had already registered losses of 849.5 million meticais (11.5 million euros) in 2023, growing by 80.3% in a year. In 2022, the losses were 820.5 million meticais (11.2 million euros), and 215.6 million meticais (2.9 million euros) in 2021.
However, the company noted a 4.16% increase in passenger air traffic in 2024 compared to 2023, totaling 2,055,435 passengers. Aircraft movements rose by 1.5%, reaching 61,182. Before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, Mozambique transported 2,296,370 passengers with 70,602 aircraft movements.
This growth in 2024 is attributed by Aeroportos de Moçambique to the performance of the national airline LAM, which accounts for 64% of passengers, exceeding both 2023 figures and the historical peak observed in 2019.
