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The Mozambican Government has upgraded Pemba Airport, in Cabo Delgado Province, and Vilankulo Airport, in Inhambane Province, to the status of international airports as part of a new reorganisation of the country’s airport network.
The change is set out in Decree No. 50/2026, which introduces a new classification system for national airports and seeks to align Mozambique’s airspace management with international civil aviation standards.
Under the new classification, Mozambique now formally has five international airports: Maputo, Beira, Nacala, Pemba and Vilankulo.
Pemba and Vilankulo are the main changes under the new framework. Under the previous system adopted in 2022, only Maputo, Beira and Nacala were classified as international airports, while Pemba and Vilankulo were considered international entry points.
The five international airports are authorised to receive scheduled and non-scheduled international flights, including commercial and private flights originating from any part of the world, provided that the necessary immigration, customs, public health and sanitary control services are available.
The new framework also classifies three airports as regional: Filipe Jacinto Nyusi Airport, in Gaza, as well as Tete and Nampula airports.
These airports will be able to receive scheduled and non-scheduled international flights originating from countries within the Southern African Development Community, SADC.
Meanwhile, Inhambane, Chimoio, Quelimane and Lichinga airports have been classified as international entry points, mainly intended to receive charter and private international flights.
All remaining airfields in the country will fall under the domestic airport category, serving flights that begin and end within Mozambique.
The new decree replaces the classification system introduced in 2022, under which Mozambique officially had three international airports — Maputo, Beira and Nacala — while Pemba and Vilankulo were classified as entry points.
The reorganisation comes as the Government moves to modernise Mozambique’s civil aviation sector and expand the capacity of airport infrastructure.
The Civil Aviation Master Plan 2026-2045 provides for investments of around USD 710.6 million over the next two decades, with approximately USD 440 million expected to be allocated to airport infrastructure modernisation.
Priority projects include the rehabilitation of Beira International Airport, improvements to operational capacity at Maputo International Airport and efforts to increase the use of Nacala International Airport.
Professor Calton Cadeado, a specialist in International Relations, Peace and Security, says several of the social and economic conditions that fuelled public discontent in Mozambique remain unresolved, warning that the country could face new protests if the underlying causes are not addressed.
Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) is bringing its customer services closer to communities through a mobile initiative that allows residents to submit complaints, requests and other concerns directly in their neighbourhoods.
Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) will open the dam’s mid-level spillway on Sunday, 20 September, to ensure the continued flow of the Zambezi River during a scheduled maintenance shutdown.
A Chinese consortium will manage the Machipanda One-Stop Border Post in Manica Province for 25 years under a concession that includes an investment of around USD 30 million to modernise and expand one of the main land crossings between Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
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