The Civil Aviation Institute of Mozambique (IACM) released a report on Thursday (25) that reveals a significant increase in passenger traffic at Mozambique’s airports in 2023. The total number of passengers handled by the country’s airports grew by 20 per cent last year, reaching almost two million, according to Lusa.
According to the IACM report, the total number of passengers rose from 1,649,901 in 2022 to 1,974,523 in 2023. This growth is also reflected in the number of aircraft in operation, which rose by 7%, totalling 60,250 movements.
Maputo International Airport stood out as the main driver of this increase, with a 22 per cent rise in passenger movements to 1 051 868, followed by Nampula Airport, with 199 366 passengers (+13 per cent), and Beira Airport, with 198 269 passengers (+21 per cent).
Of the total number of passengers, 1,272,263 relate to domestic air transport, which represents an increase of 11 per cent compared to 2022. Regional connections also saw substantial growth, with 524,879 passengers (+46%), while intercontinental connections saw 149,507 passengers (+28%).
‘Maputo International Airport stood out as the main driver of this increase, with a 22 per cent growth in passenger movements, reaching 1,051,868’
The report also emphasises that of the nine international air service operators active in Mozambique before the pandemic, eight have already resumed operations. These include LAM, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, SA Airlink, TAP, Qatar Airways, TAAG and Turkish Airlines.
As Lusa points out, in terms of infrastructure, the country has eight heliports, 16 airports (including three international ones) and more than 330 aerodromes. At the end of last year, Mozambique had 14 operators licensed for commercial air services, two of which offer scheduled domestic and international services, nine with non-scheduled domestic and regional services and 88 registered aircraft.
