The Minister of Transport, Ricardo D’Abreu, reaffirmed the Executive’s commitment to promoting an in-depth assessment with a view to moving towards a more rational, predictable tax model for the aviation sector, aligned with international best practice.
The information was shared on Tuesday, 7 April, at the opening of the 2nd Advisory Council of the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), held under the theme “Tax Burden in the Air Transport Sector: Impacts, Challenges and Sustainability”.
On the occasion, the minister warned that an unsuitable tax framework could have direct effects on the sector, including reduced airline competitiveness, difficulty in attracting new operators and limitations on route expansion, factors that influence the growth of civil aviation in the country.
The Minister of Transport, Ricardo D’Abreu, noted that the tax burden in the air transport sector should not be analysed in isolation, but should be framed within a broader ecosystem of public policy, regulation and market dynamics. He said, the future of the air transport sector in Angola will depend less on the diagnoses that have already been made and more on the quality of the decisions we take and execute
“The current tax model must be analysed critically and with a focus on its suitability for the country’s strategic objectives. This is not about reducing requirements or compromising public revenue, but about ensuring that fiscal instruments fulfil their function in a balanced way, without generating adverse effects on the economic activity that is intended to be stimulated,” he added.
According to the minister, Angola faces a demanding equation, which involves ensuring financial and regulatory sustainability while also creating conditions to attract operators and strengthen connectivity, taking advantage of the new airport as a regional platform.
ANAC’s Administrator for Finance, Rebeca Manuel, also presented a report containing data on the sector. In 2025, Angolan civil aviation employed 8,372 workers, of whom 5,986 were men and 2,386 were women.
The report states that the ecosystem comprises nine national commercial airlines, only one of which operates scheduled services, ten international airlines, 27 auxiliary service providers, four certified training centres and one maintenance base.
In terms of traffic, between 2023 and 2025, aircraft movements grew by an average of 1.7%, with a 2.7% increase in 2025 compared with 2024. Passenger traffic evolved moderately, with average growth of 1.3%, and recorded a year-on-year increase of 3.8% in 2025.
However, cargo transport fell by 9.0% over the same period, highlighting structural constraints.
