NAIROBI, Kenya, December 8, 2025/APO Group: The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) heralds a transformative milestone in African aviation with the full operational deployment of the Free Route Airspace (FRA) across the Western and Central Africa (WACAF) region, effective 30 October 2025.
This 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.
UPRs allow airlines to fly the most fuel-efficient and timely paths based on current conditions, rather than follow fixed, conventional routes, giving the pilots more flexibility and enabling them to navigate 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 started in 2023, in accordance with its Memorandum of Understanding with AFRAA and adhering to 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 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.
“The implementation of Free Route Airspace in the WACAF region is a game-changer for African aviation,” said AFRAA Secretary General Abdérahmane Berthé.
“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. We extend our profound gratitude to Afreximbank and all stakeholders who have journeyed with us for their unwavering commitment to this vision.”
Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, Kanayo Awani commented: “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.
Substantial Benefits for Launch Airlines
In a powerful demonstration of the initiative’s potential, six leading African airlines, including Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, EGYPTAIR, Royal Air Maroc, RwandAir, and ASKY Airlines, were approved UPRs, connecting 30 key city pairs.
The shift to UPRs is expected to generate significant annual returns to participating airlines, including over 1,393 hours of cumulative flight time saved, a reduction of 5,000 metric tonnes of fuel burn, and avoidance of approximately 16,000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions, as well as a decrease in annual fuel costs of around USD 15 million.
A Free Route Airspace for all
Crucially, 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 UPRs 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.
A Continent-wide Vision for the Future
The success 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.
