1 September 2026

ANAC Gabon Inspects Air Navigation Safety Services at Franceville Airport

Why this article matters
The inspection is a routine but concrete example of how Gabon exercises regulatory oversight over ASECNA, the regional body that provides air navigation services across much of Francophone Africa – a relationship that matters because ASECNA's multi-state structure means national civil aviation authorities like ANAC Gabon retain the specific compliance-checking role even though service provision itself is regional.

Continuous surveillance programmes of this kind are also a factor in how international bodies such as ICAO assess a state's own safety oversight capability under its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme. Demonstrating an active, multidisciplinary inspection regime, covering air traffic services, communications, navigation, surveillance and meteorology together, supports Gabon's own standing in that wider assessment, independent of any specific findings at Franceville itself.

Of Interest
- ANAC Gabon inspected air navigation services at Franceville's El Hadj Omar Bongo International Airport from 10 to 11 August 2026.
- The mission assessed the compliance of services provided by ASECNA against Gabon's national regulatory requirements.
- The inspection covered Aeronautical Information Services, Air Traffic Services, Communication, Navigation and Surveillance, and Aeronautical Meteorology.
- The ANAC delegation was led by Gildas Boungaghan, with inspectors Else Maguendji and Léonel Mba Nkilli.
- The mission formed part of ANAC's 2026 Continuous Surveillance Programme.

Gabon's National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), recently carried out an inspection mission of air navigation services at El Hadj Omar Bongo International Airport in Franceville from 10 to 11 August 2026, as part of its 2026 Continuous Surveillance Programme, in comments translated from French.

The multidisciplinary mission assessed the compliance of air navigation services provided by the Agency for Air Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) at the airport, against Gabon's national regulatory requirements.

The ANAC delegation was led by Gildas Boungaghan, lead inspector for Air Traffic Services and Flight Procedures (ATS/PANS-OPS), and included Else Maguendji, lead inspector for Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS), and Léonel Mba Nkilli, lead inspector for Aeronautical Meteorology (MET).

Over the two-day mission, ANAC's inspectors examined the activities and systems operated by the air navigation service provider, covering Aeronautical Information Services (AIM), Air Traffic Services (ATS), Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS), and Aeronautical Meteorology (MET).

The inspection team focused on several areas, including the organisation and functioning of the services, available human and material resources, personnel qualifications and training, application of operational procedures, availability and compliance of technical documentation, and the arrangements in place to ensure the safety and continuity of services.

ANAC said continuous surveillance is a key tool for identifying gaps, assessing the effectiveness of measures in place, and supporting ongoing improvement in the safety of air operations, contributing to the safety, regularity and efficiency of air navigation at national airports.