Angola and Tanzania have signed a bilateral air transport agreement intended to enable air links between the two countries, with the governments set to examine which airline will be the first to implement the arrangement.
Angolan President João Lourenço confirmed the agreement during remarks to journalists in Dar es Salaam on 29 October 2026, on the first day of his state visit to Tanzania. He said the two countries had paid particular attention to the agreement because of the need for air connections between their capitals or other cities.
The President linked the proposed services to the movement of passengers and, in particular, business travellers seeking to establish partnerships, set up companies, sell or export goods and develop trade between Angola and Tanzania. He said the governments would now consider which carrier would move first to give effect to the signed agreement.
In a subsequent address in Dodoma on 30 October, Lourenço said efforts were continuing to establish direct air connections between Luanda and Dar es Salaam. The remarks distinguish the signature of the bilateral agreement from the later introduction of airline services.
The agreement was among several bilateral instruments signed in Dar es Salaam during the visit. The government’s official announcement identified an air transport agreement, an agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons and memoranda of understanding on meteorology and information and communications technology.
Lourenço placed the air transport agreement within a wider effort to expand economic cooperation following earlier diplomatic exchanges, including President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s visit to Angola in April 2025 and a session of the bilateral commission held in Luanda in July 2026.
The governments also discussed maritime and rail connections, including a proposed link between Angola’s Benguela Railway and the Tanzania–Zambia railway system. In Dodoma, the President said the wider objective was to facilitate movement between markets and strengthen commercial links.
For aviation operators, the next step identified by Lourenço is the selection of the airline that will begin implementing the signed air transport arrangement. The presidential statements describe continued work towards direct Luanda–Dar es Salaam air services.
