The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has achieved a major milestone in advancing Free Route Airspace (FRA) across Southern and Eastern Africa after 23 User Preferred Routes (UPRs) were approved, paving the way for implementation by the end of 2026. The initiative will allow airlines to fly more direct and efficient routes instead of following fixed air corridors, reducing flight times, fuel consumption, operating costs and carbon emissions. The approvals followed a regional workshop in Johannesburg involving aviation regulators, air navigation service providers, airlines, ICAO, IATA and AFRAA. Of the 25 UPRs submitted by Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, RwandAir and Cathay Pacific, 23 were approved, with some routes adjusted to optimize operations. The approved network includes key intra-African connections linking ETHIOPIA, KENYA, RWANDA, SOUTH AFRICA, ZIMBABWE, BOTSWANA, ZAMBIA, NAMIBIA, MADAGASCAR and Mayotte, as well as long-haul routes between SOUTH AFRICA and HONG KONG and KENYA and FRANCE. Notable South African approvals include direct services between Addis Ababa–Johannesburg, Addis Ababa–Cape Town, Kigali–Johannesburg, and Hong Kong–Johannesburg, while Ethiopian…
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