Aviation: Free Route Airspace Takes Off Across West, Central Africa

The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has announced a major breakthrough for the continent’s aviation sector with the full roll-out of Free Route Airspace (FRA) across the West and Central Africa (WACAF) region, effective October 30, 2025. The move marks one of the most significant airspace modernisation steps in Africa’s recent aviation history.

Six leading African carriers – Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, EGYPTAIR, Royal Air Maroc, RwandAir and ASKY Airlines – have been approved to operate User Preferred Routes (UPRs), connecting 30 major city pairs. These new flexible routes are projected to deliver substantial operational gains: more than 1,393 cumulative flight hours saved annually, around 5,000 metric tonnes of fuel conserved, a reduction of over 16,000 metric tonnes of CO₂ emissions, and an estimated US$15 million in yearly fuel savings.

The transition to FRA follows successful trials that began in November 2023. With the new system, airlines can now plan more direct UPRs, significantly improving efficiency and sustainability across the region’s airspace. UPRs allow pilots to bypass rigid fixed routes and instead fly optimal trajectories based on weather, winds and real-time operating conditions, cutting both flight times and operational costs.

According to a statement, the 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.
The FRA deployment is the result of close coordination between airlines and air navigation service providers (ANSPs), who agreed at a joint workshop in Dakar, Senegal to conclude the FRA trials and proceed to full implementation.

AFRAA Secretary General Mr. Abdérahmane Berthé described the activation of FRA in WACAF as “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.”

Berthé also acknowledged Afreximbank and regional stakeholders including the Western and Central African Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), ASECNA, IATA, ICAO, among others for their commitment to the project.

Afreximbank’s Executive Vice President for Intra-African Trade and Export Development, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, said the FRA initiative aligns with the continent’s broader integration goals.

She 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.”

Free Route Airspace for all in the future
With FRA now fully operational in WACAF, any airline can begin planning and operating UPRs from October 30, 2025, with ANSPs committing to approve new route requests within 48 hours. By mid-2026, once final administrative processes are complete across the 24 WACAF states, airlines will no longer require prior approval to operate new UPRs, streamlining operations even further.

The success recorded in the region sets the stage for continental expansion, with focus now shifting to the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESAF) region, which aims to complete its own trials and advance toward FRA implementation in 2026. ESAF will also develop a web-based coordination platform to harmonise operations for airlines and ANSPs.