- Angola and France reaffirmed cooperation in civil aviation, with a focus on Air France’s operations in Angola, TAAG’s Airbus fleet expansion, and enhanced bilateral aviation frameworks first established in 2015.
- A new technical protocol is under discussion between Angola’s ANAC and France’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, aimed at strengthening operational safety and providing targeted support to TAAG.
- Discussions included updating the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), advancing digitalisation and sustainability through a proposed MoU, and strengthening accident investigation protocols in line with ICAO Annex 13.
In a high-level meeting held on 17 June in Paris, Angola’s Minister of Transport, Ricardo Viegas D’Abreu, and France’s Minister of Transport, Philippe Tabarot, reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to expanding strategic cooperation in the transport and infrastructure sectors. The meeting underscored the historical ties between Angola and France, taking place as Angola undertakes significant structural reforms across its transport industry.
Civil aviation featured prominently, with discussions reviewing Air France’s operations in Angola, TAAG’s fleet expansion with Airbus aircraft, and existing agreements dating back to 2015. The Ministers also reviewed ongoing cooperation with the French Development Agency (AFD) and CODATU, especially in urban mobility and the restructuring of Angola’s public transport operator TCUL.
Key projects under this partnership include the development of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems in Luanda and mobility planning in rapidly growing cities such as Benguela, Huíla, and Huambo. The two nations expressed mutual interest in extending cooperation into rail (notably the Luanda Metro and the Lobito Corridor), road infrastructure, electric mobility, maritime-port modernisation, and logistics, particularly through the Barra do Dande Free Trade Zone.
Proposed new legal frameworks include a Memorandum of Understanding focused on digitalisation, multimodal mobility, and sustainability, as well as a technical protocol between ANAC and France’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation to enhance aviation safety and support TAAG.
Minister D’Abreu also reiterated Angola’s invitation for French participation in the Zambia railway extension of the Lobito Corridor, positioning it as a regional integration initiative with EU and multilateral backing. Additional topics included Angola’s Airport City project in Icolo and Bengo, the updating of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement, and collaboration on air accident investigation aligned with ICAO Annex 13.
The meeting concluded with a proposal to establish a Bilateral Monitoring Group and an invitation for Minister Tabarot to attend the “Angola Hub – Transport and Logistics Summit” in Luanda this October, where key cooperation agreements are expected to be formalised.
