The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has celebrated the transformative milestone in African aviation with “the full operational deployment of Free Route Airspace (FRA) in the Western and Central Africa (WACAF) region.”
According to AFRAA, the “landmark achievement, transitioning from successful trials initiated in November 2023, will allow any airline to plan and fly more direct User Preferred Routes (UPRs), significantly enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of air travel across the continent.”
AFRAA stated that “UPRs allow airlines to fly the most fuel-efficient and timely paths based on current conditions, rather than having to follow fixed, conventional routes, giving the pilots more flexibility and enabling them to adjust to factors like weather and winds, leading to reduced fuel consumption, shorter flight times and lower carbon emissions.”
“African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has supported the FRA initiative since the trials begun in 2023, in accordance with its Memorandum of Understanding with AFRAA and in line with the Global Air Navigation Plan of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the conclusions of the Africa-India (AFI) FRA Planning and Implementation Regional Group,” AFRAA said.
In addition, “the deployment of the FRA represents a decisive step resulting from a collaborative effort between air operators and air navigation service providers (ANSPs) who reached a consensus at a joint workshop in Dakar, Senegal to conclude the trial phase and move to full implementation.”
AFRAA Secretary General, Mr. Abdérahmane Berthé said: “The implementation of Free Route Airspace in the WACAF region is a game-changer for African aviation. This is a testament to what we can achieve through collaboration. By cutting flight times and fuel consumption, we are not only boosting the competitiveness and profitability of our airlines but also making a significant commitment to environmental sustainability.”
The SG extended gratitude to Afreximbank and all stakeholders to the vision including “the Western and Central African Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), Agence pour la Sécurité de la Navigation Aérienne en Afrique et à Madagascar (ASECNA), Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Régie des Voies Aériennes (RVA), Roberts Flight Information Region (Roberts FIR), The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO).”
Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, Mrs. Kanayo Awani said: “Efficient, safe, and well-regulated air services are critical to facilitating intra-African trade, tourism and connectivity in line with the objectives of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Afreximbank is fully committed to supporting the full implementation of SAATM and the establishment of an effective and efficient aviation industry through a range of financing instruments, including its aircraft leasing platform as well as trade facilitation interventions.”
According to AFRAA, “to demonstrate the benefits of the Free Route Airspace initiative, six African airlines including Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, EGYPTAIR, Royal Air Maroc, RwandAir and ASKY Airlines have been given approval for UPRs to connect 30 key city pairs.”
AFRAA noted that the shift to UPRs is “expected to generate significant annual returns to participating airlines including over 1,393 hours of cumulative flight time saved, cutting 5,000 metric tonnes of fuel burn and therefore avoiding some 16,000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions, and a reduction in annual fuel costs of about US$ 15 million.”
AFRAA added: “The WACAF airspace is now open for free routes. Starting 30 October 2025, any airline can plan and operate User Preferred Routes. The region’s ANSPs have committed to approving newly requested UPR within 48 hours. Furthermore, following final administrative work by the 24 WACAF States, this process will be further streamlined, with approvals no longer required for new UPR requests from mid-2026.”
AFRAA emphasised that the success in the full operational deployment of Free Route Airspace (FRA) in WACAF “paves the way for the next phase of continental integration. The focus for 2026 will shift to the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESAF) airspace to conclude trials and achieve a similar FRA implementation. The region is also committed to developing a web-based coordination platform to streamline operations for airlines and ANSPs.”
At the 57th AFRAA Annual General Assembly in Luanda, Angola, AFRAA recognized and awarded the pioneering Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) in the region including the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and ASECNA for their work on the FRA project.